The Hunger Games: A different scenario
by Anonym Author
Summary: In this fanfiction I imagine what would happen if Katniss and Peeta won the 73th Hunger Games instead of the 74th, two years before the Quarter Quell. This leaves us with Katniss and Peeta as mentors for the two new tributes. I do not own these characters or the original story. I love the original and I know I cannot reach the perfection of Suzanne Collin's triology.
1. Chapter 1- The first reaping after our r

Chapter 1 – The first reaping after our victory

I wake up in my bedroom in the victors' village on the day of the reaping. I am already feeling the nerves burning underneath my skin. It is the first time Peeta and I are mentors. Even if my name is not in the big bowl anymore, I still have my family and friends who are still in the games. I have been a troublemaker and a problem to the capital, and the best revenge would clearly be to choose someone dear to me or Peeta. I cannot volunteer for my sister once again. I can't take their place. They are doomed to a life in fear, just as I am. My fear is just different now. The eyes of the capital are watching me and I know they are not happy. Haymitch made that very clear last year. I will suffer either way. No one deserves to be in these games. It will be hurtful to see any of them walking up that stage, no matter if I knew them or not. For once I can understand how Haymitch became the man he is today. His fear and the pain he goes through every year. The sun is shining outside my window, just like every day. But this day is everything but ordinary. I already have flashbacks from last year. I see Prim's terrified face and how Gale had to carry her away. I see the tears in my mother's eyes. And today two new families will suffer like ours did last year. But worse, because there is no way our tributes will survive this year. We did something you can't do last year and the capital will punish the whole district for what I have done.

I walk down the stairs in my dressing gown, my hair is a total mess. I yawn widely as I enter the kitchen. Then I realize we have company for breakfast. Peeta is there. I see new French rolls and cheese buns at the table that he must have brought with him. "Good morning Katniss," he says and smiles at me. "Hi Peeta" I answer tiredly as I sit down in the chair next to him. Since Peeta is all alone in his house he sometimes joins us for breakfast or dinner. He often eats lunch in the bakery with his family. I am so tired and therefore I do not say much. I do not say much at an ordinary day either, but today I am too nervous to have a conversation at all. Peeta respects my silence and talks to Prim and my mother instead. He knows I am nervous about the reaping. He is too. All we have thought about the last month have been about what kid from school we must train and then watch die a week later. No one mentions what day it is. Instead, they talk about the planned wedding. I am nervous about that too. What if they realize it was just an act? What if hey already know? I do not listen very carefully until my sister asks me about the wedding gown. "When are they choosing your dress, Katniss?" she wonders. "Um, I do not know. I think they will announce which dress I will wear during the games. Cinna has not told me much about it." I say and smile at her. I can't understand it has been a whole year. Only a year. Prim has grown so much. She is almost as tall as me now. Before she was so tiny you wouldn't believe she was twelve. Now she is thirteen. It was only a year ago Peeta and I went to the capital for the first time. Then I did not know about the feelings the blond baker's boy had for me. The feelings he still stores inside him. The feelings I have rejected ever since behind the cameras. My coldness towards him has not stopped him from slipping out comments that will make me feel like a fraud. Like the most coldhearted person walking this earth. "She will look gorgeous in whatever they dress her in," Peeta says. I know he means what he says, but I also know he says it to annoy me. A few months ago we decided to try to be just friends behind the cameras. Even though he is hurt deep down it is easier for both of us to live and act like a couple when the cameras arrive. Since I know him so much better now I now dare to reply to his comment with his own medicine. A few months ago I wouldn't have. "When the audience sees you in that suit Cinna and Portia picked out for you, you will dazzle them all. Me included, you know" He grins and cheekily kisses my cheek. When he does that, Haymitch conveniently enters from the hallway. "Already warming up for the cameras at the square, my lovebirds?" He laughs and takes a sip from his bottle. He is not as drunk as he usually is, but he is already a little unsteady. "Shut up Haymitch." I sigh and throw a french roll at him. "And take a bath?" he jokes. "I already took a bath and this time without you giving me a cold or pneumonia". Peeta laughs at the memory from the morning of the first day of the Victory tour. Haymitch sits down with us. He butters bun I threw at him as we hear a knock on the door. "Wonder who is here a day like this?" I say and walks to open the door. Behind the door I find Gale. "Hi, Katniss. Do you have some time for a walk? I would like to talk to you before you disappear with your fiancé." He says bitterly as he pronounces the last word. He is still jealous of Peeta, even if I have told him a dozen times there is nothing more than friendship between us. "Sure. If you don't want to join for breakfast?" I say. "No, I ate with my family before coming here." He replies when he sees my company sitting in the kitchen. When I realize I am still in my sleepwear I tell him to come in. I tell Peeta and the others I am going for a walk with Gale and walk up the stairs to my room to change into a shirt and some jeans. When I walk down to the kitchen again I give Peeta a hug before I go, since I won't see him until the reaping. He kisses my cheek once again. I wonder if he did that as a sign to Gale. Peeta knows Gale kissed me once and it makes him protective even though I am not his girlfriend. He knows that snow knows and that it almost had us all killed. He tells me to be careful and mentions that he will see his parents one last time before we go to the capital. "See you later, Sweetheart" Haymitch says as I close the front door of my house.

"Why does Haymitch call you Sweetheart Katniss?" Gale asks in irritation. "Don't tell me you are jealous of Haymitch too, Gale." I joke. "He uses that nickname to annoy Peeta as much as it irritates me." We walk down the street, and I realize we are going to my old house in the Seam. "What did you want to tell me, Gale?" I wonder when we walk by several of my old neighbors. "I just wanted to spend some time with my cousin before she goes to the Capital with the baker's boy. I will miss you, Catnip." He says sadly. At this point, we are at my old house, the official home of my mother and sister. If I would die they would have to move back to this place. I know Peeta would invite them to live with him if that happened. But I have talked to them about an upgrade of the house, not because I want them to leave me alone in the big house in Victory's village. I would like if they could have some sort of emergency room for patients since it is a long way to go if anyone would need desperate help in the Seam. I do not want my old home to be left empty, and if it could save lives I would love to help the people of district 12. After all, I have done I owe them. I can't repay them for anything, really. Prim and my mother said they liked the idea, but that my ideas must wait until I come home from the games this year. I cannot understand I am going back to the capital today. That I am one of the new mentors in this horrific game. I do not want to know who I am going to help in the coming week. The people in the seam look at me and Gale in fear as we walk by. They know I might be mentoring their children in the coming games. And I can't blame them for looking at me when I walk through the poorest part of the district. For them, I am a symbol of death, just as much as the Reaper is. I do not belong among them anymore, but I do not belong among the crazy capital people either.

When I come home I find Cinna in the sofa by the hearth in the living room. Peeta is gone, and so is Haymitch. Cinna and I hug and then we start to work. Octavia and Venia are waiting for me upstairs. My team knows me by now, my nails are not very nice after a few months without them. They do not need to put on full makeup, but they will make my nails and naturally make up on my face. When they are ready Cinna dress me in a white shirt, black pants and then dark brown leather boots. It almost feels like I am going to the woods, not to the capital. He braids my hair into a single braid like I use to wear it. He puts the golden Mockingjay-pin at my shirt. His final touch. "Are you ready for showtime?" he asks. I nod. After they have dressed me and made me pretty for the cameras I walk to the bakery to meet up with Peeta. He wears a sky-blue shirt, light brown pants and dark boots like my own. I remember what a disaster he was in the woods in the games. His wounded leg made it impossible to get by unnoticed. I smile a little at the memory since I am afraid of remembering the rest of the horrible things that happened. We walk hand in hand to the Building of Justice where we meet Effie to prepare for the ceremony. This time her wig is pink just like her dress. Her expression on her face tells us she is very happy to see us again. I am happy to see her as well, but I am not as excited about the games as she is. No one from the district is excited about this. "The schedule is tight, so you all must do as I say. Okay?" she twitters as we watch Haymitch walk up on stage. "I know this is not a pleasant job, but you will be fine." She says to me and Peeta, and then she runs away on her high heels. I realize the difference. Last year she would never say something like that. It is almost a little rebellious.

The ceremony begins and Effie twitters as she does every year, but not with the same energy as she uses to have on stage. The crowd is quiet as always. That has not changed. I watch the crowd of children from the chair where I sit next to Peeta and the mayor. My people waiting for their death penalty. I am waiting for my punishment for not dying as I was supposed to do. I find my sister standing with the other her age, and I soon find Rory, who turned 12 this year. I hope they will leave the square safe and not on their way to the capital. But I do not want anyone else to suffer either, but I am a little egoistic and pray for my family and my friends to not be picked. Prim only have two slips this year and Gale had to promise Rory did not take any extra slips. If they need something they only must ask about it, even if Gale is too proud to receive help from me and rarely asks about anything. I told Hazelle the same thing to be entirely sure. Only tree slips amongst thousands. But I know what I thought last year. Prim only had one slip and Effie still picked her. The odds tell me she and Rory are safe, but you never know. "As always, ladies first," Effie says and walks to the bowl and picks a random slip. "The female tribute of district 12 the 74th annual Hunger Games is Molly Smith". I see a grey-eyed and dark-haired eighteen-year-old walk up on stage. "Now for the boys," Effie says after asking about any volunteers. Only the wind wanted to take the girl's place. Effie reads the name on the slip. "The male tribute of district 12, the 74th annual Hunger Games is Jake Ferry." I breathe out when I realize my family is safe. But the sorrow hits me hard when the new tributes are shaking hands. I let a tear escape down my cheek. I remember last year like it was yesterday. Peeta looks at me with compassion. But I also see a stone lifting from his shoulders, none of his friends were picked. I watch the boy, who is Rory's age. He is blond and blue-eyed, just like Peeta. Molly's hair is dark like mine. I see that both tributes are very thin and pale. They know the feeling of starvation. I see it in their eyes. I have been there myself and I know what it is like. I know what all of this is like, but I can do nothing to help them. I can't save them. I can't even save myself.


	2. Chapter 2 - The train to hell

Chapter 2 – The train to hell

Molly and Jake sit in the same sofas we sat in last year. In the same positions as we were last year. And I feel awful, hopeless and horrified at the same time. I suddenly understand how Haymitch became the alcoholic he is. If I did not have Peeta here to support me I could have been just as Haymitch. Drunk all the time and sleeping with a knife. Peeta holds my hand. He knows how hard this is since he is here in the same position as me. How are we supposed to help them? I can't help them. Peeta can't help them. No one can. The president hates me, and he will do whatever to make me weak. I wonder if Haymitch thought like this when he mentored his first tributes. This year Haymitch will help us mentoring since we are new and do not know what to do with our mentorship. Effie talks and twitters about something with him and they seem to enjoy the company of each other. Haymitch is not as drunk as last year, which is a big improvement. Peeta politely asks the tributes if they want anything to drink. They both nod quietly. I see tears in Jake's eyes. Molly is not crying, but she is definitely not enjoying what has happened to her. A servant asks Jake if he wants coffee, tea or hot chocolate. He watches me and Peeta in panic. He does not know what hot chocolate is, coffee is way too expensive for most of the families in the Seam and tea is too ordinary. Tea is what you drink when you have nothing to eat. Peeta politely orders four cups of hot chocolate for us, since the tributes had no idea of what to do. I still find it all pretty strange, even if I have lived in this for almost a year now. I don't see how anyone would find this life as normal. Most people starve in Panem. "We were in your shoes last year, we know how surreal the life in the capital is. But I think you will like what we just ordered." Peeta says politely to Jake and Molly who still are to shy to say something. I stay quiet because I do not find something important to say. Not even Peeta finds something to talk about. I rest my head against Peeta's shoulder and close my eyes while listening to Effie and Haymitch talking in the background. Peeta gently strokes my hair with one of his hands and I hold his other. "I love you Katniss." He whispers in my ear and I smile. He tries to calm me. He knows how awkward I am amongst new people and how much I dislike the whole situation. And then we have to act like a couple in front of the servants and the tributes. "I love you too, Peeta" I reply quietly. When the servant returns and serves the chocolate I open my eyes. I see a bright smile at the servant's face. I know he must think we are really cute together. We probably are cute together. When drinking our hot chocolate we start talking some strategy. Peeta is the one telling about social skills since I am not too social and hate to be in the spotlight. He is a natural. I leave that part to him, and then I will teach them about the survival skills they can use in the arena.

We give them the information we got by Haymitch lasts a year at this point in the process. We talk about the opening ceremony and a bit about the training they will go through. "If you have any special skills you should not show everything to the other tributes at group training since the others could take advantage of knowing them," I say, and Peeta nods. "But if your skills are weapon related you should look and maybe use the weapons to adjust to them since they won't be as the ones you use at home." Peeta includes. I've told him about the bow last year. It was hard to use the capital version when I was used to my own bow. "It is time for dinner now, kids" Haymitch sneaks into the room. He and Effie left so that we could talk with the tributes ourselves. "Well, we should let them rest a little anyway," Peeta says and stand up. He has to adjust his mechanical leg before he takes another step. He then takes my hand and escorts me to dinner in the other car. Molly and Jake follow us since they have no idea how to navigate in this train. I know this train like I know my own home. When we sit down at the table I remember how ill I felt last year and decide to help my tributes out a little. They are not used to this kind of food. "I know you might be hungry, but the food in the capital is greasier than at home and we do not want you sick, right?" I tell them. I wish someone told me this last year. I felt sick, and I remember even Peeta's face turning green when we ate dinner the first night. Not even he, who was considered one of the richer kids of the district could handle the food. "Okay, Katniss. Thanks for the warning" Jake replies with a smile.

"Do you want to go to bed soon, Katniss? You look tired, love" Peeta asks me when we watch the recap of the reapings in the living room after dinner. "Yes, I would love to go to bed early tonight" I reply and yawn widely. "Can you please come tonight, Peeta?" I whisper, but I know everyone else heard it too. We are not supposed to be too discrete. Peeta and I have to be convincing like the star-crossed-lovers in front of the capital servants and the tributes. For me, it works out as a good excuse. After rejecting him I realize have no rights to him, really. But I know that my nightmares will be crazy tonight and that I need him by my side in the dark. He nods a little and smiles at my invitation. He then tells our tributes to go to bed as early as possible after the recap is over." If you need anything, the servants are here for you. And if you need to talk with someone you may talk to Haymitch or to us. You know where our rooms are, right?". Peeta's room will be empty tonight. But no one mentions that little detail. They nod, but something tells me they took the hint when I asked Peeta to come to my room tonight. They won't wake us up. They will cry themselves to sleep. Like I did. Like Peeta probably did too. We are strangers that have nothing to do with their feelings.

I pull Peeta with me and tell him to get his stuff over to my room. "But I want to shower, Katniss." He playfully protests and laughs in my hair, but I force him into my room and tell him to use my shower instead. He is in my bathroom for a good twenty minutes and I wait patiently for him to open the door. When he finally walks out of my bathroom he lies down beside me in bed. We talk for a few minutes and then I fall asleep with my head on the spot where I can hear his heartbeat. The steady beat of his heart is calming and a pleasant sound to fall asleep to. I feel the heat of his body against mine and I feel safe. A few hours later I wake up in panic. That did not change. I always wake up screaming in the middle of the night. This nightmare is worse than usual. I scream wildly as I try to save Peeta from the monsters from the 74th Hunger games and Peeta does what he can to calm me down. That is not very easy since I am still convinced I am in danger. That he is in danger. My mind is still in the arena when he tries to wake me up. "Katniss, you are here with me. Calm down. Whatever you dreamed, you are safe. Your family and Gale's family is safe. I promise you." I am shaking and I am crying in panic. "I dreamed… I dreamed I lost you. That I lost you to the mutants by Cornucopia last year." I tell him and cry. And I almost did lose him for real. His fake leg remembers me about it every day. "I am here with you, Katniss. And I am safe." He tells me. "I promise you," he says and smiles at me in the dark. I feel his arms around me. He is here. He is not in the arena. He is here with me. I surprise myself by do something I never thought I would do. I kiss him. I kiss him desperately because I want to. Or I at least think I want to. He kisses me back. I feel the pressure from his lips against mine. The lips I have kissed multiple times. But I have never felt something in my chest when we shared those kisses. Now I do. The kisses we share that night are filled with the taste of my salty tears and a light taste of toothpaste. I don't stop kissing him until I need to fill my lungs new with new oxygen." What are you doing?" Peeta asks me, surprised by the kiss. And then I say something I never said to him and really meant. "I am in love with you, Peeta Mellark." And he looks at me like I went crazy by the dream. Maybe I did. "I love you. I really love you." I repeat to him. "You promise me?" he asks and smiles a bright smile at me in the dark. "Yes. I promise" I say and can't hold myself back. I feel his steady lips against mine once again. I feel a feeling I have never felt my whole life. And I do not want that new feeling to ever disappear from me. "I love you too, Katniss." He says and kisses my forehead. "Think you can sleep now, Sweetheart?" he whispers in my ear and I nod. Then I drift of to sleep. His muscular arms are around me and I sleep the rest of the night without waking up by another nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3 - In the capital

Chapter 3 – In the capital

He called me Sweetheart. He has not done that since I found him in the mud by the river. He probably did not dare to after I rejected him. And since Haymitch keeps using "Sweetheart" as my nickname to annoy us he always uses my name. But tonight, it was different. When I wake up I realize he is already awake. When we sleep together he never moves or does something that could wake me up in the mornings, since he apparently likes to watch me sleep. When I open my eyes, he smiles at me and I can't do anything but return my brightest smile. We talk for a few minutes about what happened in the dark. He says that he hoped he did not dream it all and he is relieved when I confirm it was all real. I am so happy I finally can finally respond to his love and that I can stop hurting him. I want to heal all the bruises I have given him. The whole talk ends up in us kissing again. I kiss him hungrily and desperately. I feel his hands on my waist and his hair in my hands. After a few minutes, we realize we should get up. We don't want to be late for breakfast. When I look at the clock I see we are already running out of time. "We don't want to be late for breakfast with our tributes" he finally says and kisses my forehead. "I better go to my room to change clothes". He chuckles and then he leaves me alone so I can find something to wear for the day. I find some clothes Cinna chosen for me in the big wardrobe. I slip into some comfortable clothes, brush my teeth and my hair. I watch myself in the mirror. I only see one difference from yesterday. I smile. I smile because I know I will see Peeta in a minute. I put my pin on the shirt and walk out the door. When I walk out the door I meet Peeta in the doorway. I think about how I just realized how much I need him, and how much I love him this night when I lost him to the wolves in my dreams. I can't understand how I did not realize any of this earlier. I take his hand in mine and smile at him. Then we walk down the hallway to see the others. Our tributes are already eating breakfast with Effie when we arrive at the breakfast table. "Sorry for being a little late. I had some really bad nightmares" I excuse us. Effie just smiles and tells us it is alright. "Have you seen Haymitch today?" Peeta asks the rest of the team when we do not see him anywhere in the car. Effie answers that he is in his room. He does not like breakfast and not mornings in general. He is always in a bad mood in the morning. Peeta and I sit down next to each other and we keep holding each other's hands under the table as the servants serve us our usual breakfast food. We talk to our tributes and we happily see Molly opens a little and talk a little more than she did yesterday. They ask us questions about the games and we try to answer them and give them advice. We advise them to make a first impression by waving to the crowds at the train station. To get noticed and get more sponsors. Peeta did realize this from the first day and I did not. But I survived anyway. Thanks to Peeta's strategy and my strength we managed to get out. We tell them even more about the preparations for the opening ceremonies than we told them yesterday. I tell Molly to do as her assistants and her stylist tells her. "It might be painful, but they do what they can to help you." They will wax her whole body. I am going throw the same torture today since Octavia, Venia, and Flavius can't wait to wax and shave off all my body hair when we get to the capital. I do not think Cinna nor the assistants will help her out since they still assist me. The girl on fire.

We come to the capital early in the morning and the people outside the window wait to see the new tributes and to see us again. Peeta and I have not been here since the Victory tour a few months ago. And we have not been in the spotlight in the media for a long time. I hate being in the spotlight. I really do hate it, and I know Peeta does dislike it as well. But he just hides it under a bright smile. I try to hide it, but I am not always as successful as my partner. "Are you okay, Katniss?" Peeta asks when we are about to leave the train. I nod and steal a kiss from him. I feel the difference in his way of kissing me. It does not feel like the kisses we have shared before. It feels more natural and real. It is real. It is not for the cameras. He gives me his hand when we are going out at the platform. He does not let go of my hand. He holds it in a tight grip as we go out on the platform. Our fans are everywhere and people with cameras photograph our every step. We hear fans screaming our names as the peacekeepers escort us out to the cars. When we get in the cars I pay attention to the little silver engagement ring on my finger. I never realized it was such a beautiful ring until now. At home, I stored it in a box to not lose it in the woods or when doing the daily tasks. The world is so much more colorful and I feel happier than I have felt in a long time. Is this how it feels to be in love? I get to marry the boy I realized I cannot live without, that I realized I love more than just a friend. I might lose Gale in this, and it hurts. But if he does not support my choices I do not know anymore. I just hope he can accept my feelings and that he will still be my best friend when I am back in district 12. I look at Molly and Jake who are sitting in front of us. "You did a good job with the first impression. You are doing very well so far" Peeta says and smiles. "Don't you think Katniss?" I just nod and keep watching out of the window. "You certainly did a better job than I did last year," I say to calm them. They really did a better impression than me. I just glared at them as if the citizens were crazy. I mean, they really are crazy, but it is not a very good survival technique to treat the people with the money as they are insane. Molly and Jake already try to survive, and I want to believe in them. But I know it is hard to win two years in a row. It has only happened one time in history. And Peeta and I did something you can't do. We both survived a game that only one was supposed to win. Peeta's blue eyes are sparkling when I look at him, and I know mine does sparkle too. Wonder if the capital will notice the change in our relationship. It is not fake anymore. But I suppose that to them, we are just more in love than ever. I wonder if the team noticed something.

Peeta is in meetings before lunch while Octavia, Venia, and Flavius take care of the national crisis that I have not waxed or shaved for several months. I can't wear dresses if they do not wax my entire body first. Like I told Molly, it hurts like hell. My skin is sensitive after the harsh treatment. I must be a little red when I meet up with Peeta for lunch. "Hi again, my love," Peeta says and drags me into a kiss. Our potential sponsors show up as we stand there in each other's arms. I let go of Peeta and blush slightly by being caught snogging with him. "Uhm. Hi Mr. Greendale and Miss Greendale. What a pleasure to see you" Peeta greeted, blushing slightly. I shake hand with a man in the mid-thirties and a woman in the late twenties. Or I think they are. You never know since they could have had surgery to look younger. At home you want to be older, it is status to have survived over the age of fifty-five. But here it is different, you want to look like a teen or very young adult, even when you are in the mid-forties or mid-fifties. We are eating lunch and talking to them about sponsoring Molly or Jake. They seem as nice people and willing to sponsor us, and they say they want to sign a sponsorship later this week. They are more interested in sponsoring Molly since she is a little older and therefore her chances are a bit higher. But they could be interested in sponsoring Jake too if his scores are good enough. "How high scores are we talking?" Peeta asks politely. "Between 6 and 8 is enough for both," the man tells us. "Your scores were fantastic last year," the woman says and turns to me. "No one has ever scored higher than 10 before. You must have done something unique to deserve an eleven" I take Peeta's hand, smile at them and answer "Yes, both of us did score high last year." They are both smiling when they see our hands connected. "We sponsored you last year. We helped Haymitch pay for the medicines. It was an honor to sponsor the winners" the blue-haired woman says. We thank them for the meeting and the medicines from last year. Then they have to hurry to go to the opening ceremony. Peeta and I find Haymitch and he gives us advice on what we should do with the sponsors. "Wait for them to contact you, and this will be fine," he says and smiles. When he notices how I look at Peeta he just grins. "You two seem happy. What really happened on the train?" he asks and Peeta and I look at each other. "I might have fallen in love with him" I whisper in his ear and he just laughs. "Really?" he asks. I nod, and he keeps laughing when he leaves for the opening ceremony. He finds it hilarious that I did not realize this until now.

Molly and Jake appear in their costumes and their stylists Lynn and Mike have followed Cinna and Portia's new style rather than the style other stylists went for the years before. They look dangerous. Like fire. But I do not know if the fire is about to catch or die out. We try to find Haymitch and we find him among the other previous victors. To socialize is easy for Peeta. He is naturally kind, sweet and lovable. I dislike it since it is to many new faces I have only seen on the television and I dislike to casually chat with people about the weather or worse, the wedding or our relationship. I do not drop Peeta's hand even one time in the crowded stables. I am not a social butterfly and this year we seem to be the head attraction since we are the only new here.

Finnick Odair, district 4, one of the most known and popular darlings of the capital, chats with an older lady next to the horses that will pull the carriage for their tributes. It is well known he does anything for money. Like the girls do at home. The poor girls that stand outside the head peacekeeper's door at night. I wonder why he does that to himself. Why he does not search for a girl who really loves him. When he sees us and Haymitch he waves at Haymitch. "Who do I see? Isn't it the girl on fire and the baker's boy from district 12? Not to forget the winner of the second quarter quell." He smiles a smile that any girl would die from. But I do not fall for it. Maybe I am just too in love with Peeta to feel attracted to it. Or maybe I do not fall for it because all I can think of is the resemblance between him and the young girls who do what they can to get some extra money for their families. He won the 63rd annual Hunger Games, and he was only 14 at the time. He is the youngest victor ever in Panem. He should be 24 or 25 years old this year. He really is attractive. The bronze hair, the green eyes, and sunkissed skin. He already was extremely handsome when he won. But sometimes good looks and no official girlfriend or boyfriend is not always in your favor. The people of the capital have driveled over him since he was 16 and I think I feel bad for him. I am just happy the capital loves the love story Peeta and I created last year. Would I be known as the girl who does anything, if you just give her money for her services if I did not have Peeta? Would Peeta make Finnick company if he did not have me by his side? "Hi, Finnick. Nice to meet you too" Peeta said and smiled towards him. Finnick asks about the wedding and the visit to district 4 since we went there during our Victory tour. District 4 was a beautiful place, I saw the sea for the first and maybe last time in my life. When we talk to him and the old lady I realize it is Mags, his old mentor and not one of the ladies he gets paid to visit. I do not think Finnick is the person media portraits him to be. I think, I know it is far from the truth. I see Molly and Jack and we thank Finnick and Mags for the chat and tells them we must move on to our tributes. They tell us it was a pleasure meeting us, and then they turn their own focus on their own job as mentors.


	4. Chapter 4 - Preparations for the slaugt

Chapter 4 – Preparations for slaughter

Molly and Jake are live on a big screen in the stables. They wave to the crowds as we told them. They smile and seem to be happy to be there. Even if they are not, they at least look happy and proud. That's all that counts when we are seeking sponsors for them. The capital citizens are easy to fool if you know how to do it. Effie gives me a schedule over the coming days and I get a little nervous when I see two interviews. The winner from the year before is always interviewed during the preparation week. An interview without Peeta? I watch the third day, and I see another interview on the schedule, and I breathe out when I see Peeta's name. I was in an interview with Caesar alone last year, and I should make it on my own this year as well. But I indeed do not like it. We watch the rest of the schedule. We have a lot of time to talk to sponsors and for our tributes. Peeta and I do not have much time together if Molly and Jake decide to be trained separately. We decide that we must talk to them about those details tonight.

When I help Jake down from the cart, he looks happy. Together we go to one of the elevators to go up to our floor. Molly and Jake go to their rooms to change their clothes and maybe shower of the makeup. We tell them we will be on the roof if they need us before dinner. We walk up to the roof and we watch the city below us. I remember last year when we were here and Peeta talked about dying as someone else than himself. I did not fully understand what he talked about and not why he cared about those things so much. Now I do. We could not sleep and we both felt trapped in our rooms. Now we are on the same roof, but not as tributes. Now we are mentors, which in one way is even worse. Last year we did not know each other at all. Now we are the star-crossed-lovers from district 12. Known all over Panem. Everything has changed since last year, but at the same time, everything is very alike. The difference is the perspective. Last year I was in Molly's shoes and now I am in Haymitch's shoes instead. Minus the alcohol.

Peeta and I look out over the city together. We talk about dinner. We must talk to them about the training sessions and mentoring. "I don't want them to die, Peeta" I cry. Peeta kiss my forehead before answering. "Me neither, love. But we can't get them both out of the arena. One of them might do it, but the odds are not in our favor." He replies with sorrow in his voice. "Come here," he says, and he hugs me. A long hug. I listen to his heartbeat when the tears are finding their way down my cheeks. "Oh, love. I know it is hard." His blue eyes are now filled with tears. Effie finds us and tells us to come to dinner. I dry the tears on my cheeks and prepare myself to walk down to the dining room. We find the others area,by sitting at the table and we know we must talk tactics with them tonight. I let Peeta speak first since he is the better speaker. "So, we have to go through a few things, to begin with." Peeta begins and takes a sip of water. "Do you want to be trained alone or together?" he asks them. "I don't care really." Molly says, "Jake can decide and we go after what he says". Jake looks at me and Peeta. "How did you do last year?" he asks. "We were trained together until the preparations for the interview," I answer him. "Then I want it that way," Jake says. I just smile. "Then we do it that way." Peeta and I say. It means more time together. We tell them what they are supposed to do tomorrow morning. They will train survival skills first and then attend group training. In the afternoon they will have time to use weapons. We tell them to priority to learn how to use a knife and maybe a spear since those weapons are usually in all games. After watching the repeat of the Opening ceremony, we let them go to bed. They will need every hour of rest they can get. They won't sleep very much the last night and they won't sleep much in the games either.

In the morning I teach them about life in the woods. How to hunt, how to escape the attention of other tributes. Which means, do not light a fire in the night. It is better to freeze than to be killed by a knife like a girl who lit a fire and was killed by the career pack last year. Peeta tells them all about disguise. After breakfast, they follow Effie to the elevator and Peeta and I talk to Haymitch about our own schedule. "Today you have some meetings with sponsors, Katniss has an interview this afternoon and Peeta will talk to another mentor to find potential allies for Molly and Jake," Haymitch says. "You will eat lunch with me and give me the information I need to help you further." We nod and start our day in an agency to talk to some people Haymitch suggested. They have sponsored our district before, and some of them might want to make a deal with us. We write down everything Haymitch wanted to know about the meeting and then we take paus on the roof. I need it since I am really nervous. I won't have Peeta next to me, and I hate publicity and interviews. I just want to live my life in peace and have some private life. But the media won't leave us. We eat lunch with Haymitch. It is the lamb stew with plums and I enjoy it, but I would have enjoyed it even more if I wasn't so nervous. When we are all finished Peeta wishes me good luck. We kiss and then he must go to talk to the mentors of district 11. And my thoughts are on Rue, the little girl who saved me in the arena as I walk through the hallways to find the room where I will be interviewed by Caesar Flickerman. Without her I wouldn't be here, and neither would Peeta. I owe her so much, but I cannot repay my debt in any way but living my life as fully as possible.

A few moments later I find myself in a chair next to Caesar Flickerman's. He welcomes me and then we begin the interview by him asking me a few questions about the new life as a mentor and engaged. "You have been in the spotlight for a long time now, Katniss. How do you feel at the moment?" he asks me." I am good, thank you, Caesar." I answer with a smile. Effie should be proud if she saw me now. "Peeta and I have had a calm period after the victory tour, we plan the wedding and now we are mentors for Molly and Jake." I wonder what he will ask next. "Did you have fun during the victory tour?" he asks me. "Yes, it was fun to see the other districts and to see our beautiful capital again. I was very tired during and afterward, though." I smile again. Effie will be proud when she watches this interview. I smile, as she wants me to. "Moving on, we have some questions from the audience at home who sent in their questions for you," Caesar says. "OK. I will try to answer them as honest as possible" I am terrified, but I try to hide it with a smile. If only Peeta was here to help me out. "Hannah Jason asks: Do you want children?" And I smile to the camera. "Of course, I want to have children with Peeta. But you might have to wait for a few years. Peeta and I are still very young." I say. Caesar keeps asking the questions from the audience. "Harry Levithan asks: Do you live with Peeta, and are you two sleeping together or in separate beds?" The questions keep getting more and more personal. "At home, we sleep in separate beds since I live with my mother and sister and he lives in the house next to mine. He sometimes sleeps over at my house, but my mother wants us to sleep in separate beds until we are 18. She adores Peeta, but she is still my protective mother and I love and respect her." I say. The next question is what the last name we will use. "We have actually not discussed this. I might take his last name and keep Everdeen. Everdeen is an important part of me since it is originally being my fathers' name. He died when I was eleven and I miss him very much." I say, and I hear compassionate sighs from the live audience. "I realize Peeta and I have to talk about a few things before our wedding" I laugh and waits for the next question. "Madison Green asks: What does your cousin think of Peeta?" My god. I can't tell that Gale hates Peeta. I know they mean Gale when they ask about my cousin, even if we are not related. Gale was not very happy to act nice and smile when they wanted to interview him during the games last year, so they told the audience we are cousins since he "is too handsome" to only be a friend. So, now the entire nation thinks he is my cousin. Even people in the district that have known us for years seems to think we are related nowadays. "I have a few cousins, but you must referee to Gale who appeared in television last year. We are very close, and he is more like my older brother than a cousin, really. And everyone with a bigger brother knows they can be very protective sometimes, especially when it comes to boyfriends." I take a sip of water and continue. "It is cute of him to be protective and I know it is an act of love and a sign that he cares a lot about me. Even if he has a hard time accepting Peeta as my boyfriend I know he just wants me to be happy." I tell them. If this only was the truth, but unfortunately it isn't. At least not at the moment. "A lot of protective family at home, eh?" Caesar says and laughs. "I guess so," I say and laugh with him. "That brings us to the question that Carolina asked: How is the relationship between your little sister and Peeta?" And I just laugh. "My sister is also protective of me, but she likes Peeta very much. And Peeta is very sweet to her. He often bakes the cakes we never could afford before Peeta and I won." I smile to the memory of her 13th birthday. Peeta asked me for advice for a birthday present for her and I told him how we used to admire his cakes at the bakery. He recreated the window at the bakery and she finally got to eat the cakes she only dreamt of before. That day she went to the Seam, and she invited all the children in the neighborhood to the Meadow behind the victor's village to come and eat cake with her. She looked so happy when she saw how happy the other children were for a single piece of cake. After a lot of questions, we end the interview and I go to find Peeta.


	5. Chapter 5 - The interviews

Chapter 5 – The interviews

The days have passed fast. Today Molly and Jake will show their skills to the game makers. Peeta and I are going to be in an interview together later this morning. But right now, I am looking into his blue beautiful eyes. We are still in bed and I have had terrible nightmares all night. I woke up several times, screaming. Poor Peeta, who had to calm me down every time. He looks tired, but he smiles at me anyways. "We both will need a big cup of coffee" he laughs. "Hope Effie do not make me take those pills she forced me to take at the train at the victory tour," I say and think about the pills Effie forced me to take since I did not sleep. I took them to be able to sleep, but they made the nightmares ten times worse than they were before I took them. "I might take my revenge for last year and make you eat sugarberries." He tells me, and I laugh at the memory from the caves. "Please do not drug me with sleeping syrup" I beg him. "I can't promise anything," he says and smiles at me. Then he laughs and kisses me. We are still kissing when the door opens, and my assistants walk into my bedroom. We stop instantly, and I know I am blushing. "Aww… You are too cute." Octavia says. Flavius agrees with Octavia. I give them a death glare and look angrily at them. "You know we know you are a couple, right? And we have seen you kiss each other on the television and live many times before." Venia tells us and laughs with my other assistants, who finds my reaction hilarious. "Uhm, Hi Flavius, Venia, and Octavia," Peeta says politely. "Your assistants must be watching for you in your room. I told them you probably were here, but they did not listen" Flavius says. Peeta gets the hint. "See you later, love" he whispers in my ear before he leaves me to them. I know what Venia said is true, they have seen me and Peeta kissing worse, but I blush anyways. This was more personal since we were in my bedroom and I did not know we had an audience. "Please knock next time," I tell them. I know Peeta did not resent by it, but I want them to respect our private life.

The interview begins, and the audience got to ask their own questions again. I do not like those questions, I prefer questions Caesar picked out with help of his colleges. The questions the audience ask is often very personal, and I do not like sharing everything about myself. "Annie Maze asks: When was the last time someone caught the two of you being intimate with each other in some way?" Funny, since we were caught this morning. I just look at Peeta and try to not laugh at the irony. I sit in his lap and I hold his hand like I always do in interviews with him. I let Peeta take this question. "This morning actually. Nothing serious, Katniss and I kissed when her assistants opened the door and walked in" Peeta says and laughs. I blush again. "Are you sure you just kissed? Katniss, you blush. Why?" Caesar asks and laughs. And then I blush even more. "Yes, we only kissed. I just find it a little embarrassing to be caught." I defend myself. "But haven't they seen you kiss multiple times?" Caesar asks. "Yes, they have, but never in my bedroom," I tell him. Caesar is moving on to the next question. I hate these very personal questions. Why do they want to know these things about us? I know Peeta do not like it either. But he always answers politely to the questions. He handles media better than I do, maybe because he is more extrovert and I am more introvert and society more extroverted. Caesar continues with the next question "Jean May asks: When you are both in the studio, how many children do you want and when do you want to become parents?" Peeta and I look at each other. "We know we want more than one child, and as I said in my last interview we are still a little too young to have children in my point of view," I say, smiling to the camera. Then I look into Peeta's' eyes and I know he agrees. "I can only agree to what Katniss just said. We want to be social with our friends and be the ordinary teenagers we are when we are not working in the capital. It is too much responsibility to have a child right now." Peeta includes. Our nightmares still haunt us, and I already have troubles sleeping. Having a baby would make it ten times worse. The child would wake us up when I did not. But we let those details be unsaid for now. Caesar reads us the next question "Camille Snowy asks: Do you have any nightmares after the games, and what are them about?" I start to think Caesar can read my mind. "Of cause, we have nightmares. My worst nightmares are about me losing Katniss in the arena. But when I wake up and realize she is safe I can sleep again." Peeta tells Caesar and kisses my forehead. "I have had terrible nightmares and they become worse when I do not sleep home. At home, I can sleep totally OK, but on the train and here in the capital they become much worse. I need Peeta in the dark, calming me down. He always sleeps with me when we are not home, but as you know my mother is not a big fan of that when we are at home." I say. "And what are your nightmares about then, Katniss?" Caesar asks me with a calm voice. "It changes every night. But they often include losing Peeta, my sister, my mother, and my cousins. And I often have nightmares about the accident in the mines where my father died." I say the truth. Cinna always tells me to tell the terrible truth. And I did.

The interview is done and Peeta and I go to our floor. Molly and Jake are not there when we come, no one is on our floor and we have some spare time for a few hours. I am tired and just want to sleep, but I must take off my makeup and change clothes first. Peeta just changes into some cozier clothes and waits for me in my room as I change clothes and I wash off the full makeup Octavia, Venia and Flavius painted on my face in the bathroom. Then we set an alarm on an alarm clock behind my bed and then we cuddle up in my bed. Peeta plays with my hair and I listen to his heartbeat as I always do. I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes. Two hours later I wake up in his arms. He is still sleeping, so I watch him sleep for a few minutes until he wakes up and I see his bright blue sparkly eyes and a bright smile again. We start talking about Molly and Jake, and tomorrow. I and Effie will help them with the things she taught me and Peeta last year and Peeta will help them with content for their interviews.

Peeta and I wake up the first day of the game. The interviews went as planned and we could sign a few sponsors for both of them afterward. We go up to meet Molly and Jake the last time. If I see one of them alive again I will cry happy tears for a week. I hug Molly, the girl from the Seam with five younger siblings. Five siblings. I only have Prim, and that was enough to keep fighting to come back. I know she will keep fighting for them, but I know a few others who are stronger who will make everything to see their families again. Then I hug Jake, who is only 12 years old. He is too young and to gentle, just like Rue. They both are too young. They deserve a better ending of their lives. But I cannot give them what they deserve. I keep myself together and try not to cry in front of them. Haymitch said the first time was the worst. But I cannot see that next year will be any easier. "Good luck, both of you," I say to them. "Remember what you have learned. Do not stay long at Cornucopia in the beginning." I look at Peeta, who also keeps himself together to not cry in front of our tributes. "We will miss you, and I hope we will see you again." He says to them. If one wins, the other will come back dead. Most likely the two of them will come back dead. When their stylists come to bring them, I feel like I will throw up. I want to take their place, I want to shoot Snow and I want to make a rebellion. But I know I cannot take their place. And I know a rebellion won't happen in my lifetime. To kill Snow is suicide. I feel hopeless. Why do the people of the capital not understand what they force us to do? Do they know the tributes die? Why do they let this happen year after year?

We watch the countdown on the television on our floor. In one minute the 74th annual Hunger Games begins, and I am just watching. And I beg for a merciful death for my tributes. Let the game begin.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Games

Chapter 6 – The Games

Peeta and I watch the bloodbath in horror. Jake manages to escape., but Molly is trapped in the middle of the tributes from 1,2 and 4. Her only aim and wish were to get a backpack. Unfortunately, the backpack becomes her death. I cry my out when the girl from district 4 throws a knife at her. She bleeds, and I have seen and experienced enough of the Hunger Games to know Molly won't see her home again. She takes her final breath in the grass next to Cornucopia. She is only one of the many victims of this horrible game. I realize that this is ten times worse than to only watch it from home, or even being one of the tributes. I know her, I trained her, and she was my responsibility. Jake, on the other hand, runs and climbs a tree to stay safe. He is unarmed, and he does not have a thing from Cornucopia. If we do not see his face in the sky tonight it is a miracle. "I cannot watch this anymore," I tell Peeta. I cry and escape the room.

A few days later Jake is still alive. In the morning we go to watch the games. After an hour or so I feel sick, and I need some air. I go to the roof to fill my lungs with new oxygen and find myself puking up my breakfast all over the floor. I have never puked up without a reason before. Peeta comes after me and seems really worried when he sees my breakfast on the floor. "How are you, love?" he asks, and I hear how worried he is. He embraces me and leads me out from the roof into the apartment. "I do not feel very well." I cry, and he takes my hand to guide me to our bedroom. He puts me to bed and talks calmly to me. "Try to get some rest. I'll ask Haymitch to help us with the games and I'll get someone to tidy up the roof." He leaves me alone for a few minutes, but only to tell Haymitch to take over and to get someone to tidy up the roof. He then comes back with a glass of water and sits next to me in the bed. An hour later I feel much better and we manage to take over our responsibilities against Jake again. Even Haymitch looks like he is worried about me, and he decides es that he will stay to help us. To be able to help Peeta if I get sick again. This means I can rest and just watch, Peeta and Haymitch do all the work we have to do. I get hungry and we order lunch early. I puked up everything I had in my belly this morning and I eat lamb stew to compensate for the missing breakfast. But I only eat a little at the time, to see I won't puke up again. I do not. But I am left with a heavy headache in the afternoon. Peeta tells me to go to bed and says he will come later to watch on me. He must make the work we should have done together, but he is left with Haymitch instead of me. I feel awful for leaving him with all the work, but I do as Peeta told me. I find some sleepwear and go to rest in bed, but a headache won't go away. It ends with a call for a doctor since Haymitch and Peeta are worried. The doctor comes, and she researches for any flaws in my systems. "I just do not want to pass anything over to Peeta or Haymitch. Someone must do the work, and if we are all ill, we cannot help Jake." I tell her. She smiles at me and says it is going to be alright. She just needs to find the reason I feel sick. She takes some samples and tells me to wait in bed until she analyzed the tests. Peeta comes when the doctor is gone. He smiles and tells me Jake is doing fine. He has teamed up with the girl from district five. When the doctor returns he says he should go to help Haymitch. But Dr. Sullivan tells him to stay. "I think this has an impact on you both." She tells us. "Is it serious? Is, it contagious?" Peeta asks her and is very eager to know. She just laughs and says "I do not think pregnancy is very contagious, Mr. Mellark. And no, it is nothing serious. Some people get sick easily at the beginning of the pregnancy and Ms. Eve,green seems to be one of them." We look at each other. We have told Panem we do not want children yet all week. What a timing. "And through our advanced technology, we know it is not an ordinary pregnancy. You are waiting for twins, Ms. Everdeen." The doctor reveals. Even better. It happened this week, and they can already tell it is twins. At home, it would take several weeks. "Thank you for helping us, Dr. Sullivan," Peeta says and she just smiles and tells us it is alright. Before she leaves we beg her not to tell the media. She just smiles and says she will not. When we are alone we talk about what to do. "What are we going to do?" Peeta asks me. We cannot do anything than wait and hope Dr. Sullivan does not go to media in this second. "It is already done, and we cannot make it disappear. In nine months you are the father of two little children. I just hope Dr. Sullivan does not tell the media right now." I say. Inside I am freaked out, but at the outside, I am entirely calm. Peeta freaks out a bit, it was a shock to us both and he needs to melt what the doctor said as much as I do. But he also has other's reactions on his mind. "Your mother will kill me when she finds out. Not to mention what Gale will do when he finds out. He will torture me, drown me and then shoot me with an arrow." Peeta says. "You are probably right." I laugh at him and tell him to keep calm. "We won't tell media, we don't tell anyone until we get home," I say. We want our families to be the first to know. We only trust Haymitch with the news, since the old man is worried sick about me.

Jake survives for a few days more. He gets troubles after a while, and Peeta and Haymitch send him a backpack with some supplies. A knife, some food, and water. Simple first aid things. Three days later, on the 10th day, it is over. He and the girl from district 5 were trapped and killed by the career-pack. I did not watch it since I do not feel very well in the morning and I did not want to puke up all over Peeta or Haymitch. Peeta says he is happy I did not see it. It was not very pleasant to watch the second tribute we trainedto to die. I can only remember Molly and how she died. "Does that mean we can go home?" I ask Haymitch. He nods. "Yes, I think we could do that. We can excuse it by the wedding plans since you are getting married on the first of August." He says. It is only three weeks left. We get permission to leave earlier by the president himself. I just want to go home, and we sit on the train back that evening. When we wake up the next morning we will be at home. I cannot wait to see Prim and my mother. And Madge and Gale. But I am a little nervous about meeting Gale again, with that news. Peeta and I get to sleep early, and we wake up, just a few minutes from home. I am happy to be home again. We watch the updates from the games, one of the career tributes died when the boy from 5 and the girl from 11 attacked their camp. When we come home, Peeta and I walk to the bakery to tell his parents we are at home again. And of cause to tell them the news. We go to the café instead of their front door to surprise them. They will think it is their ordinary costumers. Mr. Mellark comes out from the bakery, with flour all over his clothes and his face. He smiles a big smile when he sees us. "Peeta, my boy. Are you home already?" He says and gives his son a big hug, and then he hugs me. "I have missed you too." He says. "I have missed you too, dad," Peeta says and hugs him once again. We go into the bakery, and his brothers are clearly happy to see their little brother again. They hug each other, and I even think I see tears in their eyes. "Hello, Katniss, nice to see you," Sky says. The sky is Peeta's youngest bigger brother, and he is the only one living with their parents. "Nice to see you too, Sky," I say, and he grins. "Have you behaved well, brother?" he asks Peeta. "Of cause, I have, Sky," Peeta says and hugs him once again. "Katniss, can you verify he was behaving well?" Sky asks me. "I can verify your little brother did not embarrass himself, and yes, he was very well-behaved all along." I laugh. Their relationship is cute. They love to joke around and annoy each other. "Even when your assistants caught you in your room?" Sky jokes. Oh crap, the whole nation knows what we did that morning. "Of cause, he was. It actually was my assistants who are not very well-behaved. They just walked in without knocking on the door." I defend Peeta, and we laugh. "We actually have something to tell you, guys," Peeta says. "Then tell us!" Skye says. "Katniss had to see the doctor in the capital" Peeta begins. "Are you sick, love?" Mr. Mellark asks me. I shake my head. "And Dr. Sullivan told us it is not contagious, and that she will be cured in nine months" Peeta continues. "In nine months. Why is that? Why not earlier?" Sky Wonders. "You obviously did not take the hint, Sky. Your little brother won't be here to help you bake bread. He will be home taking care of Katniss, and probably a little one as well." Peeta's older brother Uriah says to him. "Two," I say. Peeta's family just watch me. "He will take care of two little ones," I explain. Mr. Mellark laughs and congratulates us. He took it very well, and so did Peeta's mother when we told her. When we are about to leave, Sky comes to lock the door and say goodbye. He grins and says, "Goodbye, little brother." And then he looks at me. "And goodbye, Katniss, I hope he takes good care of you."

When we get home to our houses in the victor's village we see the ugly cat. It is Buttercup, my sister's cat. He hisses us "Welcome home" and then he runs away. His memories of me trying to drown him in a bucket are probably why he hisses at me when he sees me. "Wonder if my little duck is at home or still in school," I say as I knock on my own door since I did not bring any keys to the capital. My mother opens the door and when she sees us she jumps of joy. "Prim. Come and see who just came!" Prim comes running in the hallway and she screams "Katniss! Peeta! I have missed you so much." She hugs us, and we smile at her and tell her how much we missed them. "Mrs. Everdeen. I have to tell you I have done something you might not like very much." Peeta begins. I hold his hand and I try to calm him down as he speaks to his soon mother in law. "And I do not want you to be angry with Katniss since this is completely my fault." Peeta continues. "Just tell me what you have done, Peeta." My mother says and tells him. I just hope she won't be too angry. "I am marrying your daughter in three weeks, you know, and with marriage comes children. And we will have not one, but two in nine months" Peeta blushes and looks at his shoes. "PEETA MELLARK!" My mother shouts at him. She looks really scary. But then she starts to laugh. "Who am I trying to fool? I am just happy if my daughter is happy. You are both very young, but I can see you are very happy together and I know you will be good parents." She says and hugs him. "Mom, can I ask you something?" I say. "I know you do not like the thought of me and Peeta sleeping together, and I think we all knew the reason why, but it already happened. So, can Peeta sleep with me? I am pregnant anyway, and he can't make me more pregnant than I already am." She just laughs at me and tells me I can do as I like, that I always do whatever she says anyway.


	7. Chapter 7 - The winner

Chapter 7 – The winner

The games are soon over, the boy from nine and the girl from two are soon the only ones left. I hope they end it fast since the fourteen-year-old boy from nine is seriously wounded. It is a torture to just see him bleed, and Peeta and I know the torture of being there. Being the only two tributes left. And we were allies, the-star-crossed-lovers from district 12 to be exact. But this year they will only have one winner. They will not let two winners slip through again. You do not do your biggest mistake twice, right?

Peeta is in the bakery today to help with the cakes. Therefore, it is just me and my mother at home. "Why did you let go on your rules so easily yesterday? And aren't you angry with us? I am your seventeen-year-old daughter and you will be a grandmother in nine months." I ask my mother when she boils water by the stove. "I know how it is to be young, Katniss. Some things just happen, and you won't be happier if you are angry with people you love. And even if you did not talk to Peeta until the victory-tour after the games, we all saw how much you missed and loved him. You just did not know it yourself yet." She replies. "And Peeta is a good boy. He won't leave you here with the twins. He will be a good father, just as your own father was. It could have been much worse. Some of the girls who c,come to me after a visit to the head-peacekeeper come and show signs of being pregnant, and they are often Prim's age." I do see her points. "I love you, mom," I say and hug her. I do not say those words very often, and I realize I should. "And I love you, Katniss." She replies. "How many know about this?" She asks me. "Just you, Prim and Peeta's family. We had to tell Haymitch since I felt sick, and he sent a doctor to check on me. Why?" I respond. "It is just good to know who knows and who do not know. Are you telling Gale and Madge?" She says and washes some dishes. "I want to tell Gale, but I am worried about his reaction. I feel like I can tell Madge without a bad reaction." I say. "I think Gale will be angry if I tell him, but he will also be angry if I am not telling him." I think about Gale, and how I much he means to me. He is my best friend and has been for several years. He really is like my brother, and I have realized I cannot, see him as anything else. And I do not want him to be more or less than he is to me now. I love Peeta in a way I can only love him. And I love Gale too, but not the way Gale wants me to. And I think I must tell him, even if I will break his heart in pieces. I must talk to him soon. But I don't know how or when to tell him. Things are harder to talk about now when we both have changed so much. He is not the boy who used to eat lunch with me in school anymore and I am not the girl he once met in the woods.

I go to see Peeta in the bakery since I just got the news about who won the games. That girl from 2, Cindy, did it. She killed the boy from nine, and she is now the official winner of the 74th annual games. I told mom I will tell Prim if I come home for dinner. Maybe I will eat supper with Peeta and his family. The baker's boys are all in the bakery when I arrive. This time I knock on their front door instead of entering the café. "Hi, Katniss," Sky says. "Peeta is in the café. Go and surprise him." I walk between bags of flour, the same sort I have seen Peeta carry over his head. I come out in the Café, and Peeta talks to a customer when I come, and I stop in the doorway since I do not want to interrupt. "We are all good, thank you. We arrived yesterday." I hear Peeta say. "It is fun to see you too, Delly. I have missed you too." It is Delly Cartwright, a friend of Peeta. When I see it is her I walk out to them in the café when Peeta hugs his friend. "Hi, Katniss!" Delly says. Peeta turns around and says, "Hi love!" I smile at them and step out on the other side of the counter. "Hi!" I respond. "How are you, Delly?" I ask her. "I am fine, thank you, Katniss. And, how are you?" She says with a smile. "I am just fine, Delly. Fun to meet you. Do you have a lunch break at school?" I reply with a smile. She returns a bright smile. "Yes, we have. School is a little empty without you two, you know." She says. It must be empty without Peeta. But I was the quiet girl, and only silence disappeared when I did. "It was nice to meet you. It was a long time ago I saw you guys. I hope you both get some rest before the wedding." She says. Then she must leave for school. "How are you today, Katniss?" Peeta asks me when he reaches out his hand to find mine. "I am better. I felt much better this morning, thank you." I say. Peeta takes care of a few costumes more and then we eat lunch with his family. After lunch, we wait for Prim, who is in school for an hour more. We meet her outside our previous school. Outside the familiar building, I meet Rory, and I give him some money to give to Hazelle. I know her business is closed, and that they need some extra money. But my friend is all too proud to receive any help from his rich cousin, so I give the money to his little brother instead. I ask Rory to tell Gale to come and see me tonight. I have to tell him. And I just hope he will be my friend when I go to bed tonight.

Gale is knocking at my door later that day, after his shift at work in the mines. I open the door, and I hug him. "I have missed you so much, Gale," I tell him. "I think we should talk. Some things have happened since the last time we saw each other." I let him in and we sit in the kitchen. Peeta is in my room painting, and Prim is in the living room with my mother. I want to talk to him alone. I just do not know what to say to him. "You have to promise to not be angry with me. Please, Gale." I tell him. He nods. "Just tell me Catnip. I promise you. I might know what you want to tell me anyways." He responds. I nod, and I look into his grey eyes. "You are my best friend, and I hope you will always be. But you have always been like a brother to me. And I hope you know I love you. You know how hard it is to lose someone, and I have lost so many, and to lose you too would hurt more than anything. But I want you to know I really fell in love with Peeta at the train, on the way to the capital." I say and hope he won't be totally heartbroken. "I understood that when you came back from the victory-tour, Katniss. And I am jealous, I hate to admit it, but it is the truth. But deep down, below those feelings, I still want to be something to you. I am happy you are my best friend, and I do not want to change that." He says. He forms a little smile and I smile back at him. "I have something else I have to tell you," I say. Gale just looks at me while I tell him the news. I think he is going to be really angry with me, but he just laughs. "Are you kidding me, Katniss? YOU of all people I know. Married at the age of seventeen, and then mother to twins. I never thought you would ever marry anyone, to not talk about kids." Gale just laughs, and then he hugs me. "I will support you Catnip, even if I am a little skeptical about the baker's boy, I will never stop loving you." He says to my hair. "But if you have decided you want to marry him, I will support you. Our friendship is worth everything to me, and I can't lose you. You know that." I cry happy tears when Peeta suddenly walk down the stairs. He looks worried at me. And I understand that since the tears are falling down my cheeks. "Katniss, how are you?" he asks me, and I just smile. "Everything is fine, Peeta," I say. "I am just the happiest person alive. I have two fantastic boys in my life, and I just realized it is possible to have both of you left. One like my best friend" I say and look at Gale. "And one as my boyfriend," I say and look at my husband to be. Peeta just smiles at me. "So, weapons are down between us then, Hawthorne?" He asks Gale. "I suppose we at least can call it an armistice. But if you even think the thought of hurting her in any way, you will regret you were even born, Mellark." Gale says." If you promise me you will take well care of her, I will maybe think about putting down all weapons against you." Gale responds. "I promise to take care of her, even if I know she manages to take care of herself," Peeta says and grins.

Gale and Peeta decided to try to be friends, and I actually asked Gale to walk me down the aisle at the wedding. He said he would do it if it made me happy. I told him I would be the happiest girl in the whole world if he did and then he promised me he would do it.


	8. Chapter 8 - The child bride

_Author's note_

Now I have updated until this chapter. I put the text through a spelling and grammar check, so it should be correct now.

Chapter 8 – The child bride

It is a week until I am no longer an unmarried girl. We are all going to the capital since we will marry there. Prim, my mother, Madge, Gale, Hazelle and the kids are my official guests. Haymitch obviously comes with us. Peeta brought his family and a few friends. The rest of the guests are in the capital or are going from other districts. All the other victors will be there, including the most recent winner, Cindy from district 2. We go a few days earlier since my assistants will need time to fix me for the big day and we have some things to do before the actual wedding. We will take photos and we will be interviewed. Gale will be in a few interviews since he will walk me down the aisle. My family will be in interviews and so are Mr. and Mrs. Mellark and Peeta's brothers. And the capital people won't leave me and Peeta alone for a minute. I hope I won't puke upon anyone. I still feel sick in the morning, and we will be in focus from early in the morning until late in the evening. They are even recording a program for the citizens of the capital, but it will be sent in the districts as well, about the preparations for the wedding. And the team will be around every second of this week. And I just hope I won't go crazy.

We are eating dinner with our guests on the train. Afterward, Peeta and I go to bed, and this time we do not have separate rooms. They have installed a huge bed in our room, and I actually sleep all right in his arms that night. When I see his eyes the next time, I am not tired. But we stay in bed as long as possible. It ends with me in the bathroom, puking up last night's dinner. Peeta is holding my hair back, comforting me. "It will be fine, Katniss." He tells me, and I try to believe him. I do not know if this is just morning sickness, or if I am nervous enough to puke up. When we join the others for breakfast I am pale and hungry. Effie tells us the schedule for the day, and I almost puke up again when I hear it. The camera team will join us at the station, and they will follow every step we take. Today we are installing in the training center and help our guests who never been here. Peeta and I and our guests will have two floors. Peeta and I will sleep in my room. Prim and my mother will share Peeta's. Gale and Peeta's friend Mark will sleep in one of the tributes rooms, and Delly and Madge will share the other. Haymitch will have his ordinary room. Hazelle and the kids will be on the floor under us with Peeta's family, and later this week a few of the winners from district 11 will join them. Vick and Rory will share a room, and Hazelle and Posy will sleep in the room next to the boys. But Posy wanted to sleep with me, even if she cannot. I told her I will come and hug her goodnight every night when we are here. And then she agreed to sleep with her mother.

Our assistants, Cinna and Portia will do the basic stuff today, when we have some time over. And therefore, I am getting prepared for the show for several hours. When I am ready I find Posy in the hallway. "Katniss!" she calls and runs to hug me. I hug her and then I ask her if we are going to find Gale. "Yes, we do. But Katniss?" She says. "Yes, Posy?" And she looks like she has some really good plans. "Can we scare him?" And I laugh. "OK, Posy. But we do not want him to have a heart attack, right?" I already know Gale will know we are behind him since his hearing is really good after several years of hunting in the woods. But I do what I can to entertain Posy. Gale is sitting on the sofa in the living room with Madge. And he knows we are behind him, but he pretends to be scared anyway.

The next day I wake up, hearing someone walking in the room. Peeta is still next to me, and therefore I know it is not him. And I know it is not Gale since he would knock on the door and he is much quieter than this person or the persons. I am a little scared to open my eyes. When I open my eyes, I get frustrated and irritated. It is the camera-team. In our bedroom. I watch the clock at the bedside table, and it is way too early to just stamp into a bedroom like that. I decide to pretend they are not there and to pretend to go to sleep again. But it upsets me since they just walked in and did not warn me or Peeta about it yesterday. They could have told us they were going to put a camera to our faces when we woke up. Literary when we woke up. Effie knocks on our door, and Peeta moves and mumbles he is awake and will wake me up as well. Then I open my eyes and meet his blue eyes. "Good morning, love," he says, and he has not realized we are the object of five cameras. I kiss him and then I lean over to whisper in his ear. "They are already recording. Just act naturally." He smiles and kisses me back. "We should not make Effie angry, and we should… DRESS before breakfast." He hints and we hear five couple of feet moving toward the door. "They are really going to record everything, aren't they?" He says and as he changes his shirt. "It looks like it" I reply and take my clothes out of the wardrobe and go into the bathroom to change, brush my hair and to try not to puke up, even if I feel really bad. The last one fails and Peeta opens the bathroom door to help me. "Oh, love. Just breath and take it easy. You will be fine." He mumbles in my ear.

That day Peeta and I were in an interview with Caesar. "So, everyone wonders. Who will walk you down the aisle, Katniss? Your father will not, and someone must do it, right?" Caesar asks me, eager to know. "My oldest cousin Gale will. He is my best friend and I am very happy he said yes when we asked him." I answer. He asks us questions until the last minute. "Who designed the wedding cake?" Peeta obviously did with his father and brothers. Peeta won't have time to decorate it, and therefore his father and brothers will get support from local bakers and confectioners. But it really feels like it is our cake, since Peeta was in the designing process, even if he won't bake it himself.

After the interview, we are being prepared for a photo shoot. This time it is just me and Peeta. Tomorrow they will have a photo shoot with us and all our guests. This Wednesday we will train angles with the cameras, and Gale will be instructed in his very important role. Haymitch will have the rings, and he must be instructed into this as well.

The photoshoots with family and friends begin. We have had assistants helping all our guests find the right clothes for it. Posy is in a pink dress, and Madge wears a light pink dress. No one but me and Peeta, who is wearing a white shirt under his suit jacket, wears something white. The others wear shirts or dresses in other colors. I wear a beautiful dress Cinna designed for me. The photographer tells us how we will stand for the first photo, where all of us will be a part. I and Peeta are in the middle, Posy is happy because I will carry her in one of the photos. After the big picture, they photograph me and Peeta. Then I get company by my sister and mother, and they photograph us together. Then Gale and Madge join me for some photos. They photograph us for more than an hour. And the camera-team is still here, to record our every step until the actual wedding.

When we go to bed that night, everyone is exhausted. I almost fall asleep on Peeta's shoulder when we watch the first episode of the preparation series. It begins, funny enough in our bedroom. I am happy Peeta and I always sleep with our clothes on. I see myself cuddled up next to Peeta, resting my head where I always do. We hear Effies's voice call on us, and we see a very tired Peeta answer he is awake. We all laugh when Peeta says the line "We should not make Effie angry, and we should… DRESS before breakfast" and all the cameras disappear. I do not remember going to bed that night, but I wake up beside Peeta the next morning. And I know the cameramen are there since quiet or discreet is the last thing I would call those people. Peeta is awake and is watching me. He loves to watch me sleep, even in front of five cameras. Will they start up every episode like this? Peeta leans over to whisper in my ear. "We are the favorite object this morning as well. And it is your turn to find something clever to say to make them go away" I grin and think about what to say or do for a minute while Peeta is playing with my hair. I kiss him. And he kisses me back. Effie comes and knocks at the door. "Peeta, Katniss! Wake up!" she twitters. "Yes, Effie! We are just a little stuck in here since it looks like we have some company in here and Peeta was a little warm this night. And he is just in his underwear, and he does not want to show himself half-naked in front of the whole nation." I reply to her. Peeta actually does not wear a shirt, but he actually wears his pajamas-pants under the duvet, which they of cause do not know. The cameramen leave us alone. Peeta and I just laugh. "But I do wear pajamas-pants, Katniss!" Peeta laughs. "Why did you say that for?" he says and kisses me. "Just making them leave, as you told me to. If you did not want to be embarrassed you should have done something yourself." I respond and laugh. "And I know you are wearing pants, but since you are not wearing any shirt you could have just been in your underwear as well" We get dressed and then we go to eat breakfast with the others.

That night, before the new episode, Gale asks me "What did you tell the cameramen to make them leave today then?" And I just look at him. "How did you know they were in our room today as well?" I ask him. "I saw them walk out of your room this morning," he said. "You will see what we did to make them leave. Peeta had to suffer a little, but it was worth it. Wasn't it, Peeta?" I say and smile at my husband to be. "Well, you at least got them out of there" Peeta laughs. "And she will probably make the whole nation laugh, and that is always something." When the new episode begins, we see me and Peeta sleep together. Then Peeta opens his eyes and just watches me sleep. When I wake up we just kiss and Peeta is whispering in my ear, and I am laughing a little. Then we hear Effie's voice outside the door. And my answer to her, and to the cameramen at the same time, makes our company laugh more than yesterday. "Didn't you wear pajamas-pants, Peeta? You must think about that you will be on camera from the moment you wake up, you cannot sleep half naked like that you know" Sky jokes with his brother. They joke around for a moment and when the prankster brothers were in their right mood, they came up with the idea of me and Peeta changing room to not be found the next morning. "Who will sleep in our room, then? Who wants to wake up with a camera in their face?" I say and laugh. "You can change room with me and Uriah" Sky says and laughs. "We can sleep in your room. We just change bedding and just make your double bed into two singles and put our beds into a double bed. These beds are very flexible, you know." Uriah says, and he is willing to prank the capital with us. "Katniss, in your condition you should not carry anything heavy. If you just write something clever on a paper to put up on the wall with Prim, we'll fix the rest." Sky says. So, Prim and I sit down and write "We changed room. Katniss little cousin Posy wanted us to sleep on the same floor as her. Sincerely, The girl on fire and The baker's boy" on a big paper. We tape it on the wall over the now separate beds. We tell all our guests where they can find us if they need us. We tell Effie to come to the room at the 11th floor instead of our usual room, and she agrees to it since she is a bit tired of the cameramen having their cameras in our faces every morning. Peeta and I go to bed in the room where Rue once slept, since the room is originally made for the girl tribute. I dream a happy dream that night. Rue's spirit must be here somewhere since she sent me a dream about being in the woods with her. She is well and smiles at me. We wake up when Effie knocks on our door and we are finally alone and can dress and make us ready without telling the camera-team to leave. We brought our things here yesterday, so we are not in need of clothes from our wardrobes.

That night, when we watch the next episode, the camera's finds Uriah and Sky in our room. The cameramen are about to leave when Sky jokingly says "But, I promise I wear pajamas! You can record me if you want!" and we all laugh so hard. Tomorrow I am not an unmarried girl anymore, and Peeta Mellark will officially be my husband. I never wanted to marry, but I am happy I am marrying him and no one else. But it is a little frightening to know that tomorrow, I will be the child bride. Only 17 years old and already married.


	9. Chapter 9 - The wedding

**_Author's note_**

 ** _Hi guys! I hope you like this chapter. Do you like longer chapters, like "The child bride" or do you prefer shorter ones like "Train to hell"? Please tell me in the comments/reviews what you think._**

 ** _Have a great day everyone!_**

Chapter 9 – The Wedding

When I wake up on the morning of the wedding I am very nervous. Peeta and I will be in the middle of everything all day, and I do not like being in the spotlight. Peeta is already awake, and he just smiles when I look at him. We are still hiding on the 11th floor, and we are alone. "Hello, Katniss." He says and gives me the brightest smile. "Hello, Peeta" I respond and return a little smile. We stay in bed as long as we are allowed, and then the assistants come, and they actually knock before they walk into the bedroom. Effie told them we changed room to get some privacy and she must have told my assistants they had to knock before they walk in. Always something. Octavia and Venia start with my makeup and Flavius are doing something with my hair. They talk as always, and they do not even realize I am green in the whole face. I feel really sick. "Uhm…Guys, I need to find a bathroom like in this moment" I tell them and they just drop everything and guide me to a bathroom down the hall and I can just try to hold it in when I run into the bathroom and throw up. I do not even shut the door behind me. " How are you, dear? Are you sick?" Venia asks me. When I have calmed down and stopped throwing up I answer. "I am much better now, thanks. It is not contagious, just some morning sickness" I whisper. I have not told them about the pregnancy, afraid they will tell media. I am just happy the camera team is not with me this morning. "Please, do not tell anyone," I beg them. "Of cause, we won't, love," Flavius says and guides me back to the prep room. "But how long have you known about it?" Octavia asks me. "Since the games. Haymitch told everyone I had the flu or something, but I was just pregnant the whole time." I say and they fix the makeup once again. I am ready with everything at lunchtime, and I eat my lunch with the assistants and Cinna. After lunch, the assistants leave and Cinna just makes the lip make up before he starts to dress me. The assistants left that part to him since we were going to eat lunch anyways. "So, how are you today, Katniss?" he asks me and I look at myself in the mirror. "I am just fine, Cinna" I smile at him and he just smiles back. He gets the wedding gown out of the wardrobe and I have not seen the dress since we had the photoshoot this spring. It is as beautiful as I remember. He sums it up with a little pin. It is a redesign of my signature Mockingjay-pin. It is silver instead of golden, and it fits perfectly with the dress.

I am going to the wedding in a black car. I am told by Effie, who sits next to me, Peeta is already there. He could not see me in the wedding dress before the wedding since it is a tradition here in the capital. So, he is already in there waiting for me. When the car stop, Gale opens the door and reach his hand out to me to help me get out of the car. He smiles at me and we walk over the red carpet arm-in-arm. Cameras are all over the place and people are standing outside the building where we will marry. A huge screen is posted for the people who are not allowed in to sit with the official guests to watch the ceremony. Gale is walking at my left side, meaning Peeta will be standing on my right side. When I come into the room of the ceremony, I see Peeta's back. He is not allowed to turn over and watch me until I am next to him. When Gale and I are next to him, I give Gale a hug. Gale whispers "Good luck, Catnip" in my ear. And I smile at him as I take Peeta's hand. Peeta turns to over to me and I see all his joy in this face. I just smile at him. Peeta and I walk along to the podium and Gale join Effie behind us. Effie is behind me to make sure the dress will not tangle. I see all the guests stand in the rows of couches and chairs. They all smile at me.

"I swear to love you, care for you and to always be there for you until death separates us both, Katniss Everdeen, and nothing can change what I tell you today. I truly love you and I can never ever imagine a life without you." Peeta says as he put the ring on my ring finger. He smiles and I can feel the tears waiting to fall down my cheeks. "Peeta Mellark, I swear to love you, care for you and to always be there for you when you need me. Nothing in this world can describe how much I love you, Peeta." I respond and take the ring out of the box. I put it on his ring finger. The priest, or whatever he is, finally says "Now you can kiss the bride." I have wanted to kiss him for a while. We kiss. We kiss each other while we hear the applauses echo all over the place. The president himself stand up and hold a speech to us, and Peeta and I only have the eyes on each other as he speaks. The audience applause the president. Peeta and I are walking down the aisle to go to the big wedding celebrations that will be in the president's big house.

Cinna dress me in another dress before the feast. I would not be able to dance in that big dress I wore at the wedding. The sleeves on this dress are huge, and it is decorated with pearls. This dress was one of the other options for the wedding dress and I remember this one as much lighter. "It is very heavy," I say as Cinna helps me into a pair of shoes. "I had to adjust it a little. You will understand why when you and Peeta dance tonight." Cinna says. He shows me a button inside one of the sleeves. "What will happen if I press it?" I ask him. "You will find out when you press it, but you must wait for your last dance." He answers. I go to find Peeta before the wedding celebrations. He wears a nice suit and is handsome as always. He is wearing white and fine gloves with embroidered edgings in the shape of flames. "Let's go, we do not want Effie to kill us, right?" He says and reaches out his hand to me. We go to the car together and soon we are in the middle of the celebrations.

When we arrive, the celebrations are already started and people are already in the mingle and small talking. Peeta and I will dance the first dance for the night. No one has entered the dancefloor yet, they are all waiting for us to enter, and when we have done that the rest of the guests are allowed to enter. The music is calm and slow, and Peeta and I are dancing slowly around the dancefloor. I feel like a princess on a ball, dancing with her prince. At the end of the first dance, Peeta leans over to kiss me. We still kiss as other enters the floor. I see Gale dance with Madge and I see my sister dance with Rory. I find Posy dancing with his older brother Vick and I smile. I realize how hungry I am, and we go to find something to eat. When we have eaten, Gale finds us and he first asks Peeta if he can steal a dance with me. And Peeta smiles and tell him he can. "Can I dance with you, Mrs. Everdeen Mellark?" he asks me. And I say yes. Of cause, I want to dance with my best friend and "cousin" at my wedding night.

The feast runs to an end, and it is time for the last dance. I remember the little button in my sleeve. I take Peeta's hands and we dance on the empty dancefloor. At the end of the dance, I press the button. And I smell the smoke of my burning dress. It is not the fake flames we wore in the games. This is actual fire. I hear the pearls fall over the floor. We keep dancing, and soon I am not in the white wedding dress anymore. I wear a blue, grey and black dress with wings instead of sleeves. Cinna turned me into a Mockingjay. I am the Mockingjay from my pin. The audience applauses the change of clothes and the last dance. The girl on fire and the baker's boy. The mockingjays. The star-crossed-lovers from district 12. Finally married. I smile at Peeta and realize he is my husband from today, and I am his wife. The child bridal couple, who had to prove that their love for each other is real. Even if this never was a part in my original plan, I accept the destiny I have reached.


	10. Chapter 10 - The twins

Chapter 10 – The twins

We told the press I was pregnant a month after the wedding. We could not hold on it anymore. We had to tell the world before they were born. They are two fantastic identical girls. Acacia is the quieter one and Willow likes to scream and to be heard. They are dark haired and blue eyed.

The announcement about the quarter quell came as a chock. "The 25th Hunger games were played by tributes who the rest of the district voted for. The 50th Hunger games were played 100 percent more tributes. The 75th Hunger games will be played by tributes from the existing pool of winners, and they can only be exchanged by a relative to the winners or another winner. The relatives can take the place of any of the winners, even if they are not relative to the specific winner. The only rule is one male and one female tribute." The president reads from the card. I saw on my mother that she thought about doing it. Taking my place. I told my mother and my sister to not take my place. I do not want to be their mentor. I rather play myself, even it hurts so badly since I can't leave my little ones behind. But I will be forced to, to protect them, my sister and my mother.

The reaping ceremony begins after lunch as always. I have a sleeping Acacia in my arms and Peeta carry Willow, who is excited to see the world. I just hope my mother or sister do not volunteer. It would break my heart into pieces. We are on stage, and our families are standing closest to the stage. If they volunteer they won't have to walk far to reach the scene. Effie is not herself this reaping, she is not the happy Effie I know. A tear is falling down my cheek. I know I must do this. I can't live with myself if I let anyone else take my place. "The ladies first, as always," Effie says and picks up the single slip at the bottom of the bowl. "Katniss Everdeen Mellark," she says and I know I cry. "Are there any volunteers?" Effie asks and the wind tells her I will be the tribute this year. I take my place next to Effie. "And now for the men," Effie says, and I see a tear falling down on her cheek. She read the name I have feared. "Peeta Mellark Everdeen" and I cry so hard Effie has to take Acacia from me. "Are there any volunteers?" She asks. And I see a hand raise. I already know who it is. Gale Hawthorne. "I will. I volunteer as tribute" I hear him say. He joins me on stage and he hugs me and then he takes Acacia in his arms. "The tributes of the 75th annual Hunger Games are picked. And you can now shake hands." When we are backstage I ask him what he thinks he is doing. "I think I am saving Peeta's life. And try to do the same for my best friend in the whole world. I cannot let them take both of you. Acacia and Willow need you, and my aim is to give them their mother back." He says. He sacrifices himself to save Peeta, and he sacrifices himself for me. I can just hug him and cry.

We are going on the train to the capital, and maybe it is the last time I see my home. We sit in the back of the train. I feed Willow, the feeding bottle is soon empty and she just watches me with her wise eyes. Peeta is feeding Acacia, who is a little tired. We got the permission to bring them with us, this would not have been workable if they would stay home with Prim and my mother. Gale sits next to me and he plays a little with Acacia, who is smiling and giggles. I smile at him and I look at Peeta. He is crying again and I kiss his cheek. "Peeta, I am so sorry for this. I hope you know that" I say and he tries to smile. "I know you are, I only do not know what I am going to do. I can't live without you, Katniss." He replies. Gale actually stands up and he sits down next to Peeta. "And therefore, I took your place, Peeta. I know how much you need her. And I know how much Willow and Acacia needs you. I will make my best to return Katniss alive to you." He says and hugs him. I cannot believe what I just saw. Gale and Peeta hugged each other. This world really is crazy.

Peeta and I go to bed, and we put Acacia and Willow in their cradles. I hug Peeta and tell him it will be fine. A few moments later we are sleeping, and I hear his heartbeat beating, as always. I am happy he did not have to do this one more time. His fake leg in an arena would just be a real mess. And I am happy he can take care of the two little girls when I cannot. I am still the happiest girl, now 18 years old since I have this lovely person next to me. Even if I could be dead in a week, I will still be grateful for the time we got.

I wake up hearing the yells of two hungry girls. And Peeta and I just sigh and pick them up. We meet Gale in the hallway, and I tell him to take Willow as I prepare the breakfast for them. They scream like crazy until they get their food. We are eating our own breakfast when Effie and Haymitch are arriving at the dining room, and they only watch us. I see the tears in their eyes. "Good morning," they say and pick up a plate to get some food.

We come to the capital, and I know what will happen. A few terrible hours with the assistants, and then the opening ceremony. When I say terrible I mean it will hurt since the waxes all body hair away. But it was a very hard morning since the assistants cry the whole time. Cinna tries to cheer me up a bit when he dresses me. He fails with that part. But the costume is beautiful as always. When I arrive at the stables I try to find the horses. The other tributes mingle and talk to each other. They are friends. After this, they were friends. But of the cause, the girl on fire will not go unnoticed. Even if I so badly want to be unnoticed I hear when someone walks up to me, and I know it is not Gale, Peeta or Haymitch. I should have heard them since they will bring Willow and Acacia. And those girls know how to get attention. It is Finnick, of the cause, it is him of all people. "Hi Katniss," he says like we knew each other. "Hi, Finnick." I replay to him. "What happened to the beautiful girl dresses?" He asks me and I glance at him. "Well, it looks like I outgrew them," I say. "Well, I can definitely see that." He asks me if I want a lump of sugar. And I thank him but says no. He says he is sorry for me, being a mother and a recent winner. "You could have lived life in the capital you know," he says "Jewelry and money. Parties and celebrations. But it looks like no one of us will ever see that again." He says and smiles. Any girl would have died to see Finnick Odair smile, but I do not like it at all. I have Peeta, and I love him and no one else. "I have more money than I could possibly need, and I hate jewelry." I just tell him and he smiles a little brighter. He says goodbye and Peeta, Gale and Haymitch appears. Haymitch carries Acacia and Gale hold Willow in his arms. Peeta comes and he hugs me. "What did Finnick Odair want?" he asks, and I tell him about my short talk with one of the darlings of the capital. Before Gale and I go up in the chariot I kiss Peeta and tells him to hold an eye on Haymitch or take Acacia from him. Gale gives Willow to Peeta and then he helps me up. Cinna comes and tells me and Gale not to wave or smile. We will protest to this, in silence. And I get to do what I do best. Being unfriendly and glance lethally at those who do not stop this from happening. And this time I have Gale next to me, and he is death himself. He is stone-faced during the whole ceremony. He is angry, and he has always been. Only I know how angry he is inside, only I have heard him scream his lungs out in the woods. I know he seeks revenge for all children who died in an arena. I know he wants to fight. Not in the Hunger Games, but in a rebellion. A rebellion is what we need. A rebellion is the only way to stop this horrible game. And I know I won't be a part of them, because I will most likely die in that arena. And I am sorry for the twins, I am sorry for Peeta, my sister, and mother. I am so sorry to leave them all. But I have to, to save them. To save the most precious thing in the World. What money can not buy. My lovely twins. The boy I will always owe and love until my last breath. My family.


	11. Chapter 11 - The final scores

Chapter 11 – The final score

I wake up in the nightmare I now live in. Peeta is next to me in the bed, and so are Willow and Acacia. They woke up in the middle of the night, wanting to be fed. We did not have the heart to put them back in their cradles, so now they lie between us. When I open my eyes, I find Acacia looking back at me with her blue eyes. Those eyes remember me of her father's eyes. The sparkly blue, like the sea in district 4 glisten. "Good morning" Peeta sighs. Another day started, another day passing by. One day less with him, Willow and Acacia. "Good morning, love" I respond and then I kiss him. Effie knocks on the door, demanding us to come to breakfast. She will help Peeta with the children when Gale and I prepare for the games in the gymnasium. Peeta got the permission to take them down to me every lunch. I want to feed them and take care of them. We get dressed, we change on Willow and Acacia, and then we meet Haymitch and Effie in the dining room. "Where is Gale?" I ask them. "He was a little hard to wake up, but he will be here any minute," Haymitch says. I hold Acacia in my arms when I eat my breakfast. I gave her food before breakfast, and now she is slumbering. I am happy she and Willow are unaware of what is happening to them. To their mother. To their world.

Peeta follows us to the elevator. "Good luck you two. Remember you will need some allies." He says to us. "But Peeta…" I start. "Just orders from Haymitch. And I think he is right, Katniss." He responds and he leans over to kiss me. "I love you." He says and I smile at him. "And I love you" I respond. I think about his words. I know Haymitch is right, but I do not want to get to know them. It is already much harder this time since I have so much to live for. But also, so much to die for. I know Peeta won't let Prim and my mother starve, and I know Haymitch gladly helps. So even if they lose my income if I die, I know they could survive without me. Survive and live may sound very alike. But it is not. You can survive a broken heart, but maybe you will never live again. Just ask my mother, who survived my father's death, but she stopped live when he passed away. But I at least know they will keep breathing, their hearts will keep beating. When Gale and I arrive at the health center, it is almost no one there. The career-pack is here, but the others seem to be late or not care to show up. Atala do not care about it, and she starts to talk on the minute she is supposed to. "We have to do as Haymitch told us, and I think we should split up. We can talk to more people in less time, Katniss." And I nod. I know they are right, even if it is really hard to admit it. "We have a deal if you stay away from Johanna Mason, district 7," I say. In the elevator yesterday, she was very flirty with him and she wanted him to unzip her dress. And even if I have Peeta, I still do not want him to fall for miss Axe. Because she is a tribute, like the rest of us and she is just playing the game. And he is one of the very few volunteers who are not from the winners. Mags volunteered for a girl called Annie Cresta, and someone volunteered for Cecelia from district 8. Gale and the female tribute from district 8 are the only ones who never been in an ordinary game, and they have some real disadvantages. But Gale has been hunting in the woods with me for several years. He knows how to use a bow, he is almost as good as I am. He is the really good making traps, and he taught me how to use them. We taught each other what we knew. "Ok, deal." He says and hugs me before I go to the station where you learn how to make fire. District three is already there, and they try to make a fire, but they fail. I teach them how to do without matches. Wiress, the female tribute, says it is a forcefield between us and the game makers. "How can you tell?" I ask her. Beetee and Wiress laugh at me. "It is really obvious. Look at the table next to Plutarch Heavensbee." Beetee says and looks under his glasses. I do, and then I see the shimmering. "Wonder why they have a forcefield between us," Wiress says and continues to feed the fire. "I am here, and they do not want them to shoot at them with an arrow at them as I did two years ago," I say and they just look at me. "Well, I did not kill anyone. I just shot an apple out of a pig's mouth." I explain myself. And they just laugh. "I see why your nickname is The girl on fire, Katniss," Beetee says. I decide to like these tributes. But I do not want to like them. It makes it so much harder if I do.

I go to the fishing station where I find the lady from district 4, Mags. I do not understand all she says, but she is very kind to me and she teaches me how to make a fishhook. In return, I show her how to use the bow. I have wanted to go to that station all day, and now I finally can do it. I am so into what I am doing, and I do not realize everyone is watching me shoot. I hear every target fall to the floor. When I finally stop I realize it, and I hear some of them applause me. This year I won't be scared to show my skills to the other tributes. They know I am young, strong and that I can kill them faster with my arrows than they can kill me with knives or swords. They know how badly I want to come back to my family, and that might make me more lethal than anything else.

The days pass fast away, and we are already in the stage of showing our skills to the game makers. I sit with Gale. The rest of the tributes are also there, but I am tired of trying to make friends with people I might kill within a week. I rest my head at his shoulder. "I am happy you are my best friend, Gale," I say. He just smiles at me and he says, "And I am very happy you are my best friend too, Catnip." The tributes are fewer and fewer and I talk to Gale about what to do in there. "I cannot shoot an arrow at them this year," I say and he just laughs. "Why not?" He asks. "It is too obvious and predictable if I do. And Beetee and Wiress told me it is a forcefield between them and us anyways" And I smile at him. "What are we going to do then, Catnip?" He asks me. And I still do not know what I will show the game makers when he leaves me alone. And I bet he did not know what he would do either.

When I come in to make my show they are not paying attention. It is the worst part of being a tribute from 12. We always come when they are too drunk, too tired of watching. I decide to show them how angry I am, and how good Finnick and Gale taught me about knots and traps. I find some rope and a full-sized doll. I will hang the doll with a noose, but first I find some paint to write the name of the last head game maker on it. When I am ready I hang the doll, and knot the rope around a post, Plutarch Heavensbee says "You can leave now, Mrs. Everdeen Mellark". And I throw the last paint over the floor and then I go.

When we watch our scores later that day, both Gale and I scored the highest. We scored the number no one has reached, a twelve. But we all know they had to do this, to make the others hunt us down. They do not want district 12 to win this game. They want to get rid of me. I just now it. "So, we have to talk to you about allies," Haymitch says, and I just refuse. "No. Please, Haymitch. I cannot see more people I care about to be killed. It already hurts to have to go to the arena and know my best friend will be there. And that I will possibly, most likely, die and leave my children and Peeta behind on the way. I do not need someone else to haunt my dreams at night." I say. And I cry. Peeta comes to support me. He puts me in his lap and I hide my face in his shirt. "Haymitch is sadly right, Katniss. I am not saying this to annoy you or anything. I am just saying we should listen to the man who survived the last quarter quell" he says calmly. "I tell you this because I care, and because I want you to come back to me. Because I love you and it would break my heart into pieces if I lost you." Gale is sitting next to us and he just mumbles, "This time you have to be selfish enough to save yourself. I know it is hard. You will lose people, but you must survive this, Catnip. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to watch your children grow up." I watch him sit on the couch next to me and Peeta, who gently rocks me. "But so are you. You deserve to live as much as I do." I sob. "But only one comes out, and I want it to be you." Haymitch wants an answer and I say, "If I have allies I want district 3 and Mags from 4" And Haymitch just laugh. "Ok. Sweetheart. Then you are having Mr. Finnick Odair as well". And I just shake my head. "Not him. Please, anyone besides him." Haymitch smiles. "I actually talked to him yesterday, and he seems to be a good ally. He is a good fighter, Katniss" Gale defends Haymitch. "OK. Him and Mags then?" Haymitch asks. "Fine" I hiss at them.

We go to bed early, to be able to get out as much as possible of tomorrow. Peeta and I won't have to be preparing my interviews and therefore I choose to spend the time with him and the girls instead of being with Haymitch for several hours. Gale has never done this before, and Haymitch and Effie will guide him in what to do in the interview. I will have Peeta to myself for a whole day. The last day I will ever spend with him again. I cry myself to sleep that night, but in the place where I feel most safe in the whole world. In the arms of Peeta. And I am just grateful he won't be with me in the arena. He will be here, safe enough to stay alive.


	12. Chapter 12 - The final day

**_Author's note_**

 ** _Hi everyone that kept reading until now I hope you like this chapter and enjoy my alternative storyline. I find it very fun to write this story, and it is a bit challenging since I am not a native speaker of the English language. If you find things you do not understand I am happy if you make me aware of it. I hope you want to read further into the story._**

 ** _Have a nice day everyone! – A.A._**

Chapter 12 – The final day

No one wakes us up that morning. I sleep in the arms of the boy I will always love. Next, to our bed, two cradles are rocking our daughters, who I will always love. In the room next to ours, another boy who I will also always love sleeps and will be awakened by Effie Trinket in any minute. In two days we are not here. In two days Gale and I will be taken to what might be our final destination. The arena of the 75th annual Hunger Games. And it will not be an ordinary game this year. It will be played by some of the most lethal murderers in the country and the arena must be something extraordinary. I remember the little clock Plutarch showed me at the victory-tour. It was a Mockingjay flying over his watch. I remember the girls by the lake in the woods by district 12. They showed me a biscuit with the Mockingjay on it to not be shoot by my arrows. They said they were heading toward district 13. I wonder if they made it there and I wonder what they found there if they survived in the woods. They were talking about a rebellion. It never happened anything like that in 12. Even if I wanted something to happen. I wanted the rebellion who never showed up, and now I am here. But it could have been worse, and it could have been much better. I could have been here all alone, with no one to support me. But I have all the support I need and could have dreamed about. When I open my eyes that morning I meet two blue eyes that smile at me.

Peeta and I take the children to the roof, where I first realized I was expecting them. They are almost two months old now. Those two months passed by to fast. I cannot think about the morning after tomorrow morning. It will make me sick of wondering how the arena will be, what will happen and if the female tribute from district 7 can keep her hands to herself. She obviously finds my "cousin" very attractive, and I do not like it. Now it is my turn to be protective. If Gale had a girlfriend waiting for him at home everything would have been much easier, since he could have just told miss Mason he was already taken by someone else. But he is all single. Acacia woke up and wanted to be feed and to be changed on, and then she fell asleep in the blanket. Willow often sleeps very long in the morning and so she does today. I have my head in Peeta's lap, who is playing with my hair. We live on the roof that day, and no one is calling on us to come to our floor all day or all night. We are up there to see the sunset. It fades out in red, pink and orange. It is one of the most beautiful ones I have seen, and one of the last I might see in my life. "Peeta?" I start. He keeps playing with my hair and then he responds, "Yes love?" and I tell him about a book I have created for Acacia and Willow, and for him of the cause. I did it when he was down at the bakery, helping his parents with the cakes in the mornings. It is a book where I wrote down my entire life. I need them to have it if I do not come back from this. I have written about everything, so they will have something from me left, even if I might not be there when they grow up. I see a tear in his eye and he smiles. "I just hope I will have you instead of that book when this is over, but I am happy you did it." And I smile at him, as I remember I must tell him where I hid it. "I hid it under the floor in our room, next to the bed," I say. "Why did you hide it?" he asks me and I just say I do not want anyone else to find it. "It will be the first thing I will look for if you do not come home with us. I promise you." He says and then he kisses me. We kiss under the sunset over the capital, where everyone live lives all other people only can imagine living. In an unfair world, with the cruelest and selfish leaders. I cannot do much now, but I hope someone overthrows President Snow, who caused a lot of suffering. And I hope he dies a painful death. I want him to feel the fear, the pain and the panic all tribute ever entering an arena felt. To him, I would not show any mercy at all. He has not deserved it. I just hope he will burn in hell after his death.

When the night finally falls over us we tiptoe back to our room to not wake anyone. I am really tired and the girls already sleep well in their cradles and Peeta and I go to sleep. We wake up a few hours later by the twins, and we pick them up and put them in our bed between us. I am holding Peeta's hand when I fall asleep again.

I wake up the next morning and I put Willow and Acacia in their cradles since they are still sleeping. Then I lie down next to Peeta, who is also sleeping. He wakes up when I kiss him at the cheek. And then he catches me and kisses me. We make out and then my assistants walk into my room without warning, just like they did last year. We are still kissing when they come, and they start crying of seeing me and Peeta together. When the notice the twins they cry even more. "Octavia, Venia, and Flavius, please! I come out to you in a minute. Go before you wake them up." I whisper to them. They follow my demanding and I kiss Peeta one last time before I hand myself over to the crying people in the hallway. Now it is time for preparations for the interviews.

Cinna made me a beautiful dress, once again. And I am the Mockingjay, again. It is similar to the wedding dress when it was burned up, but he changed some details and stuff. Willow is in my arms as I walk to the elevator, and I have made sure she did not eat right before this since she would have puked up on me. It is the life of a parent, but I do not want to destroy the dress. Willow will join me on stage. She is the more social one and she is defiantly going to love to see all weird looking people in the audience. She is in a black dress with cute little wings. Acacia is in a dress like Willow's, but the dress she is wearing is with instead of black. Peeta will have her in the audience, with the other mentors. We sit down at the back of the stage, where the tributes always wait to be interviewed. I sit with Willow and try to entertain her. She just looks out over the audience and she seems to like to be in the spotlight. I see that they zoom in on me and Willow sometimes during the show. I understand the anger the other express on stage. They are absolutely not leaving this until they have tried to make a change in these people's minds. I and Willow must have the same impact. They see a mother forced to leave her daughters. When she has had enough of looking at the weird people looking at her in the audience I turn her around and smile at her. She giggles again, and I rock her a little. In some way, she manages to sleep in this, but we of cause put on some earmuffs to protect her from all the all loud voices. Suddenly it is my turn to walk up on stage for my interview, I thought about handing Willow over to Gale, but I do not dare to since she fell asleep and probably will wake up if she does not stay in my arms. "Isn't it the girl on fire? And she has a little companion on stage today." Caesar says and welcomes me. "And what is the name of this little beauty. There is two of them and they are identical" he asks me. "This is Willow, and the twin who sits with Peeta is Acacia," I answer him. He asks me questions and I answer them. Time pass and soon it is Gale who is the star of the show.


	13. Chapter 13 - The first day

Chapter 13 - The first day

That morning Effie came and she gave Haymitch, Gale, and Peeta something golden for a token. Peeta got a breloque, and Haymitch and Gale got bracelets. All with the Mockingjay-symbol on it. "It is to show them we are a team." She said.

Peeta and the girls join me behind the hovercraft. It might be the last time I see them. And I cry. I cannot cry when I see the expression on Peeta's face. The girls are sleeping in a wagon and do not know what happens in their life. I hug Peeta, crying my eyes out in his shirt. I love him so much. He kisses me on my forehead and says "You, look at me. We'll do everything to get you out alive from that arena. And Gale promised me he will help us from the inside." He says. He tries to give me hope, but right now this world is totally hopeless. If I think about it this world has not been other than hopeless to us. We found love in the most hopeless place in the whole world. I look in his blue eyes, they are red from tears. "I love you. And I will do whatever it takes to survive, Peeta. But it might not succeed and I just want you to know I love you." I look at Willow and Acacia, and they sleep calmly. I kiss them on their forehead and whispers "I love you. I hope I will see you soon, but if we do not, you have to help your father. Right?" They keep sleeping and then I return to Peeta. We kiss each other for the last time before the game. Maybe forever. "Goodbye. I will miss you so much" I say and go without looking back.

I drink as much water as I can this time. I remember how hard it was last time, and I told Gale to do the same thing. If we can't find water when we arrive we survive longer if we drink much water now. Even if I cannot eat anything I try to prepare myself for this. When Cinna and I arrive, he helps me dress. He pins the Mockingjay-pin on the shirt and then I get an overall in the thin blue material. I let Cinna feel the material. "It might be desert or tropics. Rainforest or desert it must be. It will be warm in the days and cooler in the nights" he says. He gives me a belt in purple and put it around my waist. I go in the tube and he says "I would still bet on you, even if I am not allowed to. Good luck, girl on fire." And I smile and say, "Thank you, Cinna" and the doors close around me. Before the elevator takes me up to the arena I see five men coming into the room. They beat Cinna until he lies passed out on the floor. I scream to make them stop, but they do not. They carry him out and leave a trace of blood on the floor. When I come up to the arena I am shaky due to the things that happened in the preparation rooms below the arena. And then I realize I am out on open water. This is not the place for the girl on fire.

The countdown passes slowly, and I try to find Gale, but I cannot see him anywhere. He must be behind the Cornucopia where I cannot see him. But I see the bows and arrows that glow against the onyx Cornucopia. It is what I need to survive. To defense myself and the ones, I care about. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Let the second quarter quell begin!" I hear Claudius Tempelsmith say and I dive into the very blue water. I can swim since my father taught me when I was little. We swam a lot in the little lake, but there was no or very little waves in that water. I get up on one of the ways to get to Cornucopia, and I get there in less than a minute. At that time most people are still standing on their platforms, afraid of what might be in the water. But Finnick Odair does not fear water, he is the first one by Cornucopia and I am a little scared by him. "I am glad we are allies, Katniss." He says as I aim my arrow at him. Are we? What? No one told me as usual. Then I notice a golden bracelet around his wrist, and I realize it is the one Haymitch had this morning. I decide to trust him for now. He can be useful to stay alive here. "If you take the other side and try to locate your cousin I stay on this side to defend us. Do not trust district 1 or 2" Finnick says and I nod. I need to find Gale as fast as possible, he does not know how to swim since I never taught him. He probably did not know I can swim either. Soon I find him, he is still on his platform, and right before I dive into the water I hear, "No, Katniss. I help him. Defend us from the others instead." Finnick says and dives into the blue waves. I watch the other tributes take what they need. I have two sets of quivers and bows, one I use myself and another I keep for Gale. I took a few knives as well. You never know when you will need it. When Gale and Finnick are back we run against the forest. We won't be safe here when the bloodbath begins. We go for hours and then I notice a glimmering ahead of us. I scream to make Gale aware it is there, but he does not catch up in time. He hit the forcefield. If he survived that he is not human. "Gale!" I scream "Wake up" I am by his side and I put my head where I always listen to Peeta's heartbeat when we go to sleep. But all I can hear is silence. Finnick comes and pushes me away from him. And then he kisses Gale. But then I realize he does CPR to make Gale's heart work again. To make him breathe. I cry and start to panic when time pass. I am sure he will die when I finally hear his flicker. He is not dead. He is alive. "O my god, Gale." I cry and come to hug him. "You are alive." Gale look me in the eyes and he smiles. "And now I owe another man on this planet. I will owe people until I die. Thanks for saving my life Finnick." He says. Finnick just smiles that lethal smile and says, "You are just welcome, Gale". Owing people in the arena is not the dream scenario, but it has kept us alive until now. Without Finnick Gale would have been dead. "Katniss, you tried to warn us before he hit the forcefield. How did you do that?" Finnick asks me, and he is eager to know my secret skill. I cannot reveal how I know it. I must lie about it. "It was like I heard it," I say. "Don't you hear it?" I ask them. Everyone just shakes their heads. "No, I cannot hear a thing. What does it sound like?" Gale says. "It sounds like the fence in district 12 when it is electrified but much lower. Are you sure you can't hear it?" Gale and Finnick just shake their heads and Mags stand there like a question mark. I must make this a little more convincing. I listen with both ears and say, "Very strange, I can just hear it on the side where they repaired my hearing after losing it in the 73th games."


	14. Chapter 14 - Fog and monkeys

Chapter 14 – Fog and the monstrous monkeys

Since I am the one "hearing" the forcefield I lead our group to safer grounds. We find a place to make a camp on, and Finnick and Mags make the camp habitable and Gale and I try to find some food and the highest priority right now, water. It is really hot here, and if we do not find something to drink soon we will die from dehydration. Mags have eaten some nuts already and I think she begins to feel dehydrated, and maybe even more than the rest of us since she is much older than the rest of us. Gale and I go hunting, and it almost feels like the days before the 73rd annual Hunger Games. When we were hunting after school even,every day. To survive. But the big difference is that we do not have rainforests at home. If I can remember it right these woods were disappearing completely for hundreds of years ago. They had troubles with poverty back then as well as we have those problems today. But they had a choice, they could have helped each other instead of killing each other in brutal wars. It was a big war, that is known as the third world war that many nations had a part in. After that, we had to restore peace in our own country, but people protested and revolutionized against the president and the regime, and therefore we have these horrible games. To remember our ancestors who died, and first of all to never make something like it again. I want to make, something like that if I ever survive this. I do not want this anymore. I want the old system they had before. They called it democracy.

Gale and I found some sort of gnawer, we think it is eatable since it is as a very big version of a rat mixed with a rabbit. We need to cook it though, and I do not think it is worth to light a fire since we cannot put out it with. We did not find water, but this little rat's nose was damp. Mags and Gale find a way to cook it and we eat the salty meat. I would need some water to swallow it. But we have not found any. Peeta and Haymitch send us a parachute with a strange looking object with the message "Drink up – H and P". No one recognizes it. Not until Gale sees it and remembers the spoils we used to have in the woods in district 12. It is a spoil, and we used them to reclaim sap. The sap is better than nothing. It is liquid and we can drink it. And who knows? A miracle can happen and the trees might be filled with water. We make a hole in a tree and put the spoil in there. And it is a miracle because it is not sap, but the water that comes out. We are saved for a few hours more and we at least do not need to die from dehydration. When night falls I say I can take the first watch, but Finnick says he also wants to take the first watch. I do not trust him yet. We argue about it for a few minutes and Finnick says "Honey, if I wanted to see you two dead you would not be alive right now. I would not have saved Gale by the forcefield either." Finnick says and I just glare at him. Gale just sighs and asks, "Why do you not take the first watch together, then?" OK. I will sit here with Mr. Odair for hours and hours. But it feels better than him having the watch on his own. "OK." We just say. We will take it together. Gale and Mags go to sleep since Gale came back from death today he needs to rest. Finnick and I talk quietly with each other, and when I talk to him I realize he is not the person media paint up for us. He is just an ordinary 24-year-old guy, just like Peeta's older brother Uriah. And the worst is we will never be real friends like we could have been if we were not in this damn arena. He asks me about Peeta, and about the twins. "I love them so much and it really hurt to be away from them," I say. He looks at me with his green eyes. And he seems to understand my feelings, even if he does not have any children I know of. Even if he could have a few with women in the capital, but officially he does not. "I know how you must feel. I already miss Annie." He says. I do not know what Annie he is talking about. Can it really be miss Cresta? The winner from a few years ago, who survived one of the most horrible games in my lifetime. I ask him if it is her, and he nods. I can imagine how hard it must be for him to leave his friend who suffers from mental illness. She never recovered from the games. "I love her very much, and she is one of few people who really knows me and loves me for being me and not because of my appearance," he says as he crafts something with his knife. "Well, if you do not sleep now I will. I am exhausted." He finally says and goes to sleep.

He soon wakes up again. "What is happening?" he asks in confusion. A bell is ringing, and I count how many it is. Twelve. Maybe districts, maybe how much clock is. He falls asleep again and I almost do, but then I see a white and murky fog. I touch it, and I scream. It is poison in that thing. "Wake up. We have to go. The fog is poisoned. The fog is poisoned." I scream to the others. I grab my bow and the quiver and then I run. The others do as well. We are running from it, Finnick is carrying Mags, as she cannot run for herself.

At some point Finnick cannot carry Mags anymore, his arms stop working. She kisses him on his forehead and walks out in the lethal fog. We hear the canon telling us she is dead. Finnick screams after her and Gale and I tell him he must continue. The fog is almost in our heals and we must escape it. And we finally do, but we have some sort of blisters all over our bodies. And they hurt. I find myself on the ground and when I open my eyes I see water. I decided to dip my hand in it. And it hurts worse than when I got them, but after a few minutes, they disappear. "The water is helping" I whisper and I see Gale reaching for the water. When I am better I help Finnick who is on the ground, and he does not move. The poison must have had a stronger impact on him, than on me and Gale. Maybe because he carried Mags for a long time and maybe because he is much bigger than both me and Gale. Gale is very tall if you would look in the rest of district 12, and Finnick is even taller than him and he must weigh more than Gale too. I pour water over him and the fog leaves as the gas it is. When we all can move and is awake again, and we all lie in the water to heal our wounds we see some really creepy monkeys. I have never seen real monkeys, but I have seen some on TV, maybe in different hunger games. "We might want to move, so we do not get eaten by these creatures" I whisper to the others. And then the mutts attack us.


	15. Chapter 15 - The clock

Author's note

Hi guys! I see many who read my story who are not following it, make sure to follow to not miss when I update. Thanks to everyone who already follows. I hope you all like the next chapter.

-A.A.

Chapter 15 – The clock

We fight the monkeys, and soon I am out of arrows. I scream for help, but the others fight down their own targets when a big one comes for me. I do not want to die like this. Not eaten alive. I do not want this to be the final footage of me. Finnick's trident finds another target, and I hear arrows finding monkey after monkey. "Help. I am out of arrows!" I scream. The monstrous monkey goes to attack and everything goes in slow-motion from there. Before Gale's arrows find the monkey, a woman comes out of nowhere. Her skin is yellowish. Her eyes are glassy. I know this is the tribute from district 5, the Morphing. The monkey bites her in the chest. And I know she will not survive those wounds. She saved my life. I bury a knife in the monkey's back and Gale shoots an arrow at it. Why on earth would someone keep someone who you do not know alive in the arena? Soon, the monkeys disappear and we make our way to the beach. Gale and I carry the woman, who is gasping for air. The wounds in her chest are too serious, we cannot help her. "She saved me," I say. Gale just looks at me. He knows people usually do not do that and it is very strange when she was not even an ally. When Peeta and I were in the games two years ago we saved each other, but that was completely different. We were the star-crossed-lovers from district 12. And to this day we are the couple who never seems to have very bad luck. I know the president do not like me, but did he really have to make Peeta's life into a nightmare? He is the president and he has the power to make people's lives into real nightmares, and that is what he chooses to do with his life. I hate that man more than anything in this world. I talk calmly to the woman in front of us. She is laying on the damp sand, and she watches the sky. It is a beautiful color up there. The soft colors remind me of Peeta's paintings at home. The beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and the beautiful nature. He does not paint our hunger games anymore, and the paintings he had of our hunger game he sold in the capital when we were on the Victory tour. They were so realistic I could not watch them. But I really love to watch him paint and I love his art when the picture is not of the scenes I try to forget. I remember seeing those pictures, often of myself, and they were so accurate it was scary. We carry her into the water and I keep talking to her, and when she finally stops breathing I close her eyes and whisper "Thanks for saving my life." And then we watch the hovercraft come and take the poor lady away.

We go out to the Cornucopia to fill the quivers with new arrows and Finnick grabs a few Tridents. We let him sit in the water alone, looking up in the sky. He must think about Mags, and we let him have some time for himself. Gale and I sit at the beach and watch the man with the tridents. The former boy who won the hunger games when he was just 14 years old. Even if he is a grown-up adult man I can still see the boy in him. The insecurity he lives with. He is a good ally, and I think he would be a good friend if we were not in the arena. He is not the seducer people always said he is. A personality is more than the appearance. Sometimes an extraordinary appearance covers a bad personality, but Finnick is not like that. He can be attractive and be a good person, and in some way, I am happy he is my ally. And at the same time, I am not. Because I cannot live with myself if I kill someone I care about. Gale and I sleep while the man with the trident defends the beach. And I now feel safe to sleep under his protection. He is more than the capital wanted to show. He is a person with feelings, like everyone else. He loves, he feels sorrow and anger just like anyone else.

When I wake up the sun is shining. Gale is sitting next to me, and he smiles as I open my eyes. "Good morning, Catnip" and I just yawn and stretch out after sleeping in a little uncomfortable position. "Good morning Gale" I answer. Finnick is already awake, or maybe he never slept after the monkey and fog attacks. And he is already working to find us some food. And he is the right guy to do that in an arena like this. He is fishing and diving for mussels, something he must have done a thousand times. I get the spoil and go to find water in the tree line and Gale finds something to do as well. When we all are ready we eat our first breakfast in the arena. Raw fish and water. But it could have been worse. And like always it could have been much better because the wounds from the fog are itchy and the scabs do not nice. Annie and the other mentor from district 4 send us a bottle of embrocation, that makes it look even worse, but the itchiness disappears.

We hear a scream from the forest, and then we see three people come out on the beach. Finnick looks very happy and shouts "Johanna!" and she immediately responds with his name. Finnick runs against them and I must look a little skeptical. "More allies?" I sigh and Gale laughs and says we cannot leave Finnick. The beach is the safest area in here. At least what we know. Our new allies are covered in something red, and when I come closer I realize they are covered in blood. "What happened to you?" I say, most thinking out loud. Johanna looks at me and answers my question. "We thought it was raining. We were thirsty and we had to find water soon. But instead of water, it appeared to be thick blood." I see. This arena is everything out of the ordinary. The dangers are hiding everywhere. I see it is district 3 who came with her and I do not understand why they teamed up with each other. Wiress talks instantly. She repeats the words "Tick tack" over and over. Johanna calls them by Nuts and Volts and does not seem to like them. But Johanna Mason does not seem to like anyone, really. Including me. But she, unfortunately, seems to like Gale. And I just sigh. My best friend and nowadays cousin is too handsome for his own best. I tell him to stay in the background. Bring water for the new allies and stay away from that girl with the axes. Because I do not trust her at all.

I help Wiress clean up her clothes and herself in the water and she repeats "Tick tack" over and over again. The clock says, "Tick tack" and I start to puzzle the pieces together. I respond, "Tick tack" which seems to make her relax a bit. And then I realize what she wants to tell us. The arena is constructed like a clock. "Oh, Wiress. You are a genius. It is a clock." And when I say that she just smiles and stop repeating herself and start to sing a song about a clock. It sounds like a song for children, but she seems to be happy singing it. When I go up to the beach I take a look at Beetee. He looks very pale, and when I see his back I understand why. He has a wound made from a sword or a knife. I clean his wound and then I find some mud and vines to use as a provisory bandage.

I tell the others about Wiress theory about the arena being a clock. Every hour something happens in a new zone. We go to Cornucopia and start to draw a map over the arena and when we do, the game makers want to have some fun, and maybe confuse us. Because they spin the island and I start to lose my grip around the stone and when I do I see Johanna fight to hold herself up from the water, but she reaches out a hand to keep me up on the island. She is also working to save my life. And what I know off, she hates me. At least dislikes strongly. I slip out from her grip around my wrist and I am in the water.


	16. Chapter 16 - jabberjays and plans

Chapter 16 – Jabberjays and plans

The island is steady again, and Gale helps me up from the water. "How are you Katniss?" he asks me and I just cough up water. "I am fine. How are you?" I whisper. "Everything is fine, Katniss." He says and says that we should get off this thing. The game makers know that we know their secret and therefore they wanted to confuse us. But we will know where we are when the ten a clock wave begins. When we walk from Cornucopia we see Enobaria, Brutus and the siblings from district 1 come from the other end of the arena. "Enemies" I whisper and the others nod. They have seen our guests and they are getting ready for fighting. Wiress and Beetee cannot fight and we tell them to stay in the tree line and not show themselves. Wiress do not listen and walk out on the beach and when she does, that horrible man from district 2 kills her with a spear. I shoot an arrow at him, and it finds its target, right in the heart. He dies immediately and his fellow tribute shows her teeth and is about to attack when Gale and Finnick target the tributes from 1. Gale manages to shoot down the male tribute. Now he might know how personal it is. To kill a human. Someone who had a family, friends, partner and maybe kids at home. How hard it is to kill for someone else. Because no one in here kills because they really want to, everyone kills to satisfy and entertain the people of the capital. It makes the districts hate each other when we could have had friendly connections we have not. The Trident does not find the target the first time and the women run for their lives. Wiress will not make it. Why did she walk out? "Beetee! We need you out here!" Finnick shouts. "I am coming!" he responds. Johanna must be a little angry since she could not put an ax into someone. Wiress is not breathing. Her heart is beating, but she will be dead at any minute. "We cannot fix this," I say. The hovercraft comes to pick up the male tributes and wait for us to leave Wiress. And we do.

Later that day we are still on the beach. Gale, Beetee, and Johanna draw a new map over the arena and Finnick and I go to bring water. When we do, I hear a voice I would recognize anywhere. It is my sister's voice. I run against her voice, and then I hear another voice. It is another voice I would recognize anywhere. It is Peeta's. They scream in panic "Katniss! Katniss help me!" and I scream their names. "Where are you?" and then I see those birds, they look like mockingjays, but they are not. They must be jabberjays. I shoot one and I get it when I hear a voice I cannot give a name. But when Finnick hear it he runs faster than I ever seen someone run before. "Annie!" he screams and I can only follow him. "Finnick! It is not her!" I shout. "It is not her. It is just jabber jays!" We run back, but when we are going to our allies we can't get through. It is like a see-through wall, and we can only wait until the hour is over. I watch Gale on the other side of the wall and he talks to me, but I cannot hear him. I close my eyes and try to not hear the screams of the people I love the most. They have even copied Willow and Acacia. I just hear the scream they always scream when they are hungry. When they wake up at night. When they want me to pick them up. But I cannot pick them up, because they are not here. Suddenly I feel embraced and someone whispers "It is over now Katniss" and I realize I am sitting next to Gale who hugs me. "They are torturing them. They are hurting the twins, Peeta and his family, Prim, my mother, Madge, and your family" I cry. And he looks worried." It was not them Katniss. The voices were not real Katniss" he tells me. "They would never hurt Peeta or the twins. It was just a horrible trick." And Johanna just grins and says "To not talk about your sister. Everyone adores her in the capital. If they even touched her there would be a rebellion in the capital." And she keeps talking and ridicules the capital over and over again. When she walks out in the forest to collect the arrows I shout, "No. Do not go. What if the jabberjays are there?" Even if the hour is passed, the game makers might want to punish her for her statements. And she just laughs and answers, "The jabberjays can't hurt me" and I just look at her. What? Why can't they hurt her? "Because you must have someone you love to be hurt by them. And I have no one left to love" she says and goes further into the forest.

We are sitting on the beach, and Beetee tells us his new plan. Or first, he has a lesson with us. He is like a teacher when he talks with us. "Where is the safest area in the arena?" he asks us. "Most likely here at the beach," Johanna says. "And why are the others not here?" he continues. "Because we are," I say. Beetee nods. "And where would you hide if you could not be here at the beach?" he asks us. Gale looks at him and tell him he should probably hide in the forest, but close to the beach. In the tree line. We talk a little more and after a while, Beetee says "I have a plan, and I need you all to think about if you want to be a part of it. I cannot put through this with people who betray me in the end or just do not want to be a part of it in the end." We all agree to help him.

So, the plan is to electrify the beach, and maybe kill some enemies when we do. We will do that tomorrow. We will use the wire, and we will use the lightning tree to do so. Gale and I will have the first watch tonight, and I am happy to be able to talk to him alone. I have not talked to him alone since the games started. We are sitting a bit away from the others. I rest my head on Gale's shoulder when we watch for our sleeping friends. Allies. "So, we are making it. Fulfilling the plan?" He asks me. And I nod. "We should stay with them until we have hunted down a few more. But when we have done that we can leave if you want to." I say and look at him. He smiles. "You want to leave a little as well. Don't you?" He says and laughs and points at Johanna. "Yes," I smile at him. We talk for a few hours about everything. "You know I make everything to return you to Peeta. You are my absolute best friend, Katniss. And I love you, in a cousin kind of way, you know." He says to me. He smiles at me and I smile back at him. "I do not want to lose you, Gale. I won't live if you are not here. I may survive, but I will never live again. It is the same if I lose Peeta or someone else in my family. I can't live without you." I respond. "I might be quiet, like to be on my own and not very social. But I love those I have in my life so much and so deeply. And I do not want you to step out of my life. People I care about get hurt or die, and I do not want to watch that happen again."

When I go to sleep that night, Gale is next to me, and he looks me deep in the eyes. "Willow and Acacia will need you, to not talk about how much Peeta needs you, Katniss. No one does need me" He says. But that is not true. "That is not true. Hazelle, Vicy, Rory, and Posy need you" I begin. When he begins to protest I say "And I need you, Gale. You really are my best friend and you are my cousin. I do not want to talk about this more tonight Gale"


	17. Chapter 17 - The lightening tree

Author's note

In this chapter I mention centimeters since we use meters where I live. 1 inch equals 2,5 centimeters. What unit of length do you use where you live? Write in the review/comments below!

Those of you who do not follow, make sure you do to not miss my new updates!

Enjoy the new chapter and have a nice evening – A.A.

Chapter 17 – The lightning tree

When I wake up I do not know where I am. I just know Gale is there, and that is all I need to know to feel safer. And then I remember where I am. In the most dangerous place in the whole world. In the arena. We eat breakfast, bread from district 3 and 4 and drink water. We prepare for today, to leave the beach before the ten a clock wave. The wave will make the sand forget we were there. The rest of the people in here will think it is safe here, but it won't be. We start to walk toward the destination. The lightning tree. Or, around the tree. We do not want to be electrified, so we are in the zone, but not too near the tree. We hear the wave drown our traces, and we know the clock is ten AM. And then it is only two hours until the lightening begins. Finnick and I hunt and collect nuts to make lunch. Johanna makes a camp and taps water. Gale and Beetee go through the plans in detail.

When we have cooked our lunch in the force field we listen to the plans. Johanna and I will take the wire down to the water an hour before the wave. We will go to the section were the jabberjays are and meet the others there. I rather take Johanna with me than having her around Gale. She is still flirty with him, and it is obvious she finds him attractive. Gale and Finnick will help Beetee to the jabberjay section and guard him and help him with the tree. When the thunders and lightning are over, we take Beetee up to the tree. Gale and Beetee wind the wire around the lightning tree. They use a very strange pattern, and I do not know it is to entertain the audience or if it has an actual purpose. The winding takes hours to complete, and I can only help them if I can climb since I am shorter than all the others. Johanna is not to consider tall, but she is taller than me and those extra centimeters makes it possible for her to help from the ground.

We eat our supper and then we talk about tonight. "Why can't Gale and I take the wire?" I ask Beetee. "In case I need him for the plans or to protect the tree. He is much taller and bigger than you girls. You will be more discrete and faster. Finnick and Gale can help me to the jabberjay section much easier than take the wire." Beetee explains. "Do we have a problem here, Katniss?" He asks me. And I shake my head. "No, I understand," I say.

It is time to go, and I hug Gale one last time before I go. He kisses me on the forehead and says, "See you in the jabberjay section later, Katniss?" and I nod. I will meet him by midnight again. Johanna and I take the wire and begin our walk toward the water in the middle of the arena. "Let's move fast. I do not want to be electrified. Beetee might be a genius, but even a genius can be wrong." She says as we walk and we walk a little faster. I look at the stones, the trees, and the environments. I hear birds sing and monkeys, not the scary type, somewhere in the distance. Then the wire seems to be stuck. And then, rapidly, I have the other end in my hand. "Beetee! Gale! Finnick! Are you OK?" I begin to scream and Johanna tells me to shut up. Then the sleazy rat stabs me in my arm. She tells me to lay down on the ground and then she runs. Enobaria and Gloss come and Enobaria wants to kill me off, but Gloss just says "She is almost dead anyway. We have to save time Enobaria." Am I? Am I almost dead? They keep going after Johanna. I get up and try to walk back to the others. Then I hear Finnick's voice. "Johanna?" He screams. "Katniss?" I see him now, I am hidden in a bush and I have my arrow pointed at him. "Katniss. Remember who the real enemy is" He says when he sees me. "Where is Gale?" I ask him. "He is with Beetee. He was when I left to find you and Johanna. Go to the tree, they should be there"

I find an unconscious Beetee at the ground by the tree. But I cannot find Gale anywhere. "GALE!" I cry. "Where are you?" But I do not get an answer. I see a stick that Beetee has winded the wire around. I see what happened and what he tried to do, and I decide to fulfill what he thought he could do. I take the wire and tie it in one of my arrows. When the tree is struck by lightning I let the arrow fly into the forcefield. Then I do not remember anything but the hovercraft taking me away.

When I wake up Beetee is next to me. I have some tubes and things in my arms that I pull out. My arm is in clean bandages. I hear voices. I hear babies cry. I walk out to a room where I find Haymitch, Finnick, Plutarch Heavensbee, Acacia, Willow, and Peeta. Peeta is there. He stands with his back against me, but I recognize those curly blond locks anywhere. "Peeta!" I cry. He turns over to me when I say his name and I run into his arms. Then I kiss him desperately. I have missed him so much. We hug and he holds me. "Where is Gale?" I ask. Haymitch looks at me, and he just says, "I am so sorry, Sweetheart. But the capital got him before we did. He had his tracker in his arm when we rescued you, Beetee and Finnick." And I cry. The tears are falling and I sob. Then I analyze what he said. The capital got him. But where am I, if this is not a hovercraft from the capital? "What? Where are we going, if we are not going to the capital?" I ask them. Finnick answers "To district 13." And then I lose it. I go totally crazy and someone put a syringe in me and they inject something calming and I just remember Peeta carrying me back to the room where I woke up. I love him so much. And he is here. I can feel his hand stroking my hair when I sleep.

When I wake up I know someone is there. He is sitting by my side. I have not opened my eyes yet, but I feel his hand in mine and I can smell who it is. It is Peeta. "Peeta," I say. "Hi, love." He says. He smiles at me when I open my eyes. "Nice to see your eyes again." He smiles at me and he seems so happy I am back with him. "Where are we?" I ask him. I have no clue, but we are not home or in the capital. "We are in district 13" He answers me. "We will create a rebellion, Katniss." I look confused at him, at the walls and the other things I the room. "Why are we not in twelve?" I ask him. District 12 is my home. I want to be there. "I am so sorry, Katniss. District 12 does not exist anymore. It was fire bombs sent to destroy our home." He tells me. "Where are Prim and mum?" I ask him. "They are here. They are safe, and so are my family. Thanks to Hazelle over 950 people managed to escape. Without her, there would not be a memory left of the place we call home." He says. They are safe. They are all safe. "And where is Gale?" I ask him. "Gale and Johanna are in the capital. And I am so sorry about that. We really tried to get them out, but there was no time. We had to save you since you did not have your tracker in your arm. And we could rescue Beetee and Finnick as well. But I am truly sorry we could not find Gale or Johanna, Katniss." I see a tear in his eye. "I am just so happy to see you again. I have missed you so much." He says and kisses me. Then a nurse comes and says, "Good evening Mr. Everdeen Mellark. I am afraid you must leave the patient now since the visiting hours are over for today." She wears a grey uniform, and I realize Peeta wears a similar too. "OK. Good night love. I take the twins with me tomorrow, now when you are awake." He says and I reply," Good night, Peeta". And then he goes.


	18. Chapter 18 - The hospital

Chapter 18 – The hospital

When I wake up again I see my mother and sister for the first time in district 13. They wear grey uniforms like the one Peeta wore yesterday. "Hi," I say and Prim smiles at me. "I have missed you so much Katniss." She says and gives me a hug. Mother sits by the bed and she smiles at me too. "And I have missed you too, my little duck," I respond to her. "And I have missed you so much, mum. How did you escape from twelve?" I ask my mother. "Without Hazelle no one in the district would have survived. She heard the peacekeepers go, every last one of them, and then she realized what happened. She found Gale's friends from the mines and they took down the fence when she saved people and told them where to go. We lived in the woods for two days" my mother says. "And then the hovercrafts from district 13 came, and they saved us." She continues. "Is Madge here?" I ask them and they nod. "Yes, the mayor's family did survive, and so did Peeta's family. They were some of the few from that part of district 12 who survived. People from the Seam had a bigger chance of surviving this time." I smile when I realize Madge is here somewhere. "Can you tell her to come to see me someday?" I ask my mother and she nods. "Of cause, I will, Katniss. Peeta and the twins will come after lunch. He had a meeting with president Coin this morning" she tells me.

I fall asleep again when my mother and sister are gone. When I open my eyes the next time I see two little girls I have not seen for a long time. "Hi, Katniss," Peeta says and kisses me on my forehead. "Hi, Peeta," I say. "Can I hold them please?" I ask him. I want to hold them. Prove they are real. They are here with me. "Of cause, you can hold them, love," Peeta says and gives me Acacia. She is sleeping, but I am so happy to see her again. Willow is awake and sits in Peeta's lap. "So, you meet the president this morning." Peeta looks confused. "How did you know?" And I tell him my mother and sister were here this morning and they told me about the meeting. "What did the president want?" I ask him. "She gave me information about the revolution and what she needs us to do. And she informed me we are not legally married since we were under the age of 18. So, we are just girlfriend and boyfriend again." I smile at him and tell him I love him whether he is my boyfriend or my husband. Husband and wife sound wrong when we are talking about two people who are only 18. "Do you know when I can leave this place?" I ask Peeta. "Yes, one of the nurses told me you will be allowed to move in with me and the girls tomorrow if you want to." He answers. "But then you have to take the medicines and you are still in rehab." We eat supper together and when I have done that I want to take my first steps in district 13. Willow and Acacia sit in a wagon since Peeta can't carry both of them. I want to change clothes and therefore Peeta finds me a grey uniform. The nurses pull out the tubes from my arm, and then I am free to go for a walk. "For how long have I been in here?" I ask Peeta. I take the wagon to get some support. I feel like I have not been standing for at least a week. "You have been sleeping for almost two weeks. They operated your arm and healed your wounds." He says. I have been here for almost two weeks, and I have not seen anything in this district. "Do you want to see someone, Katniss?" I nod. "I would love to meet Hazelle and the kids. And I would like to find Madge as well." Peeta watches his arm, and he says they should be in the dining room eating their supper. He guides me to the dining room, and everyone looks at us when we come. Peeta shows me where the survivors use to sit, and I find my friend Madge with her dad. Her mother is not there. She might be in the hospital since she does not feel well. "Hi, Madge," I say and she turns over and looks at me. "Hi, Katniss. So, you are finally awake." She says and smiles. I smile at her and we decide to sit with her for a few minutes. We talk about life in district 13 and she says she and her dad lives in the apartment next to our apartment. We will be neighbors. "You will moe in with Peeta and the children when you leave the hospital, right?" She asks me and I nod. "Yes, I will move in tomorrow."

When we get back to the hospital I am exhausted by our walk. I meet Hazelle and the kids after the talk with Madge. I lay down in the bed and Peeta kisses me good night. Then he goes to put the two little ladies in bed since they seem a little tired too. When I wake up I am eager to start the new day. Peeta is there, and he guides me through the hallways. Finally, we stand at the door leading to our new home. Peeta puts a finger on a thing and then the door is unlocked. I see my new home. Our home. There are two cradles engaged in the wall and a bed. A wardrobe and a bureau and a table and a couple of chairs. A bathroom. Willow and Acacia sleep in their cradles and Peeta put me on the bed. We cuddle up next to each other, for the first time in three weeks. I look into his eyes. The blue eyes I have missed so much. "Tomorrow I need to work for a few hours. Two hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. I will be here with you the rest of the time." Peeta says. "And you only have to rest and take care of yourself and the twins for the moment."

We stay in bed until lunch, we only feed Acacia and Willow and play a little with them. Then we are going to the dining hall, where the people of this part of the district eat their meals. Most of the refugees from 12 eat their lunch there. We get our food and then we sit down with our families. Prim and my mother are almost ready with their meal, but they stay when we eat. They take care of the twins when we eat. Peeta's family still eat. They will go to work in thirty minutes again. All of them work in the kitchen and they seem happy to do that. "We have a meeting with president Alma Coin after lunch, Katniss," Peeta says and smiles. I smile back at him.

We take Willow and Acacia with us and go to her agency. A woman with grey hair and a kind face open the door when we knock on the door. "Oh. Hi Mr, Mellark. You must be miss Everdeen." She says and I nod. "It is an honor to meet you, President Coin," I say. "And it is an honor to meet you, Miss Everdeen. You and Mr. Mellark made this revolution possible. You are the face of this revolution. You are the mockingjays"


	19. Chapter 19 - District 12

Chapter 19 – District 12

I can't lead a revolution. I really cannot. Why would people listen to me? I am just one of the old marionettes of the capital. I am just a young girl. I wanted this revolution, I have wanted it so badly, but I am not a leader. Just look at our tries to help Molly and Jake in the arena. They are dead, like most of the population of my former district. "No. I can't be. I do not want to. They will hurt Gale if I do something. They will torture him. They will make him suffer because of me." I cry. Peeta takes my hand and looks worried about me. I am not mentally steady right now. I have just been rescued from the Quarter Quell, my whole district is destroyed and my best friend is captured in the capital. Alma Coin is looking at Plutarch Heavensbee, who joined the meeting. I get panic and Peeta takes me out from that horrible agency. This place is underground and I have never felt more locked in in my whole life. I want to see sunlight. I need it. I can't breathe down here. I cry and Peeta takes me back to our apartment, we put down the girls who slept through everything. I just keep crying and I can't stop. Peeta embraces me and puts me in his lap. He whispers calmly in my ear "I love you Katniss. I love you unconditionally, and I do not think they should pressure you as they do. They forget how young you are, and they do not realize what they do to an eighteen-year-old girl. It is enough coming to a new district we thought did not exist, to be a mother and survive the Quarter Quell." He really cares about me. "Thank you, Peeta." I sob. And then I feel a desperate need to kiss him, and I do.

My doctors want me to go back to district 12. They think it might help me in some way. I decide I want to go with Peeta. I do not want to go there alone. Prim and mum will babysit the twins when we go. Deep down I need to see it for myself. I need to see the destruction of my home. I may live in district 13 now, but it will never be my home. Haymitch wants to go with us, so we let him. He is sober since he is not allowed to drink anything but water. He finds it hard. He joins us in the hovercraft where I sit in Peeta's lap, resting my head against his shoulder. "Oh. My lovebirds, I have not seen you two for a while. How are you?" he asks us. The soberness in his voice sounds strange to me. He is never sober. Never. Poor liver and kidneys, finally getting some water. "We are fine, and you Haymitch? How do you handle being sober for so long?" Peeta says and Haymitch only says "It is a very awful experience." Haymitch sighs. "So, you are not married anymore. I saw your papers and you are just Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen again. Did you divorce?" He continues. And I answer him this time. "Our marriage is not valid in district 13 since we were under the age of 18. So, they divorced us without us knowing. But as you can see we did not split up because they thought we are too young. They do not like us being parents either, but we are and they can't make anything about it." Haymitch just laughs. "Well, these cavemen are a little crazy. You have children, they need children and then they complain about it." He says. "They do not know what they want themselves. I do not think you are too young to take care of Willow and Acacia, you have done it for almost five months now and they look very wealthy in my eyes. They have two parents who love and care about them, and in district 12 it is not very unusual with a single mother who is only fourteen years old." He continues. "It is time these people learn something about the reality."

We are in district 12, and they bring us down at the meadow by our old house in the victor's village. We begin our walk there. Peeta and I decide to take a look at our old house, these buildings are the only ones they did not destroy in the whole district. I find the old game bags that I fill with my mother's medicines, the family-book with the plants that saved our lives and some toys for Acacia and Willow. Then we hear something in my sister's old room, and it is the ugly yellowish cat. I decide to take him with me since I know how much Prim loves that scabby cat. I hide him inside the leather jacket that was my father's. Peeta takes his paint supplies and a few other things. We put all those things in the hovercraft while we walk our way down to the seam and sooner the building of justice. I regret going here. We should have walked down to the lake instead. I see people I used to know by name, old classmates, my mother's old patients. Old costumes of the bakery. All dead. I see the Goat man, the man I bought Lady from. He still sits on his milking stool to milk his goats. But he is dead, like everyone else here. What Hazelle did was brave, she saved so many on her own. She saved over 900 people. There were around 10 000 people in this district, and she managed to save about ten percent of the population. She is the true hero in this. I am just a murderer in disguise. I have killed people with my bare hands, and they want me to be their Mockingjay. One of the leaders of the revolution. I think Peeta is the only surviving from those games who did not kill anyone. Well, Foxface was his victim according to the capital, but he never killed her intentionally. She just ate the berries that destroyed their system. Nightlock could be my symbol just as well those beautiful mockingjays. But there is a similarity between me and those birds. We are the creatures, a phenomenon, the capital never intended to create. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, who should have died in the arena in the 73rd annual games. The birds that still flies in the tree crowns. But my fire is still burning, and the mockingjays are still singing in the forests of district 12.


	20. Chapter 20 - The agreements

Chapter 20 – The agreements

I have not seen Gale for weeks. But I finally do. In despair, I watch him on the television in the dining room in district 13. He is interviewed by Caesar Flickerman. They just small talk really. The show is over too quickly and I just want them to send more with the friend I never got to see after I was rescued in the arena. But they don't. Peeta and I take the wagon and leave the dining room, and I decide to sleep with my mother and sister. Peeta needs to rest from my endless nightmares. The twins won't wake up since they sleep deeply in the night nowadays. They all need to sleep, and I need to spend some time with my mother and sister. Before I go to bed Peeta and I take the girls with us to the hospital section in the district. We ask about Finnick, who did never leave the hospital when I did. He troubles to stay awake for more than fifteen minutes at the time, and his concentration is not what it used to be. The nurse knows exactly who we talk about and she directs us to his room. "Hi, Finnick. How are you?" I say and smile at my old ally from the arena. He looks at us and smile. "I am much better now when I have some company. It gets boring here, nothing to do and no one but the nurses to talk to." He says. We sit down in the chairs next to his bed and we talk for a while. Acacia and Willow look curiously at the man in the hospital bed. Who is that? They look at him and he smiles at them, and then they laugh. "Can I hold one of your little beauties?" Finnick asks. I smile and walk over to his bed and sit on the bed and let him hold Acacia, but I know how his concentration is and therefore I hold her with a steady hand if he should fall asleep or lose concentration. He seems to get really happy by some human contact, and I ask the nurse if he can come and join us for dinner someday. He would feel much better if he could socialize since he is a social person. She says she will see what she can do about it.

That night I sleep in my sister and mother's apartment. I wake up a few times, but I am not screaming like I use to do. When I have woken up five times that night and decided I will be a walking zombie in the morning Prim wakes up. "Can't sleep?" She asks and I shake my head. No, I never sleep enough these days. "What is troubling you Katniss?" she asks and I tell her about the pressure I feel by the president. "They want me to be the leader of the revolution, one of their mockingjays, and I am scared because if I am their Mockingjay the capital will punish me by punishing Gale. I can't do things that end up in hurting my best friend, Prim" I explain. She nods in understanding. My little duck, who have grown up too fast. She is only fourteen years old, but she was forced, just like I was forced, to grow up earlier than she was supposed to. I was forced to grow up when I was eleven since I had to feed my family. But I had to grow up even faster when Prim was picked for the 73rd annual hunger games and Peeta made his declaration of love to me in front of the whole nation. I had to handle the pressure and I think I did not realize I was in love with him already in the caves in the first arena. Everything passed by very fast and I had no time to think about it. I just had to find the best way out from that arena, and I did not think about how much I did hurt him. I thought it was an act, and therefore I did not dare to admit to myself I was in love. I did not dare to admit that until that night on the train to the capital. "They need you and Peeta for the rebellion. You can't be replaced, Katniss. If you have any requests you only need to ask them." She replies. "Do you really think they will accept my requests?" I ask her. She nods. "If you refuse to help them if they do not make that single thing for you and Peeta, they must do it." She says. "Thanks, little duck. I should wake you up more often, I think."

"Peeta and I will be your mockingjays. But we have some conditions." I say. Peeta and I sit in another meeting with President Coin. "Let's hear your conditions then, Miss Everdeen." She responds. "Gale Hawthorne, Johanna Mason, and Annie Cresta will be rescued from the Capital." I start. Coin does not look very happy. Maybe I should have started with something else. "No." she replies. "Yes, you will. You abandoned them in the arena and the Capital. They won't face any consequences whatever they do." I continue. And she keeps telling me "No". I get really upset, but I have to control myself. I won't win this argument if I start screaming at her. "Then you can find others to be your mockingjays," Peeta says. He is still calm. He looks me in the eyes and takes my hand in his. "I want to be able to hunt, or at least go to the woods. And my sister will keep the cat. Those three things are my only requests. If you promise me and Peeta those three things, we will do whatever you ask us to do as the mockingjays." I say. I say it more aggressive than I usually do. To show her I mean it. That she can't direct me as a brainwashed citizen of her district. I may just be a piece in a game, but I can still decide what rules to follow. "Ok. I can agree to your requests if you promise to do what we ask you to do." The president says. "You will promise those things in front of the whole district," I say.

We go to meet up with Finnick after the meeting. He will eat his first meal in the dining room, and we will help him there. When we are all sitting in at the table and eat Hazelle asks how the meeting went. "You will all see tonight. Coin will make an announcement and it includes rescuing the abandoned tributes from the Capital" I say. She smiles at the thought. Her son will be rescued. "We made the deal for Annie as well, Finnick." Peeta includes. He looks happier than I have seen him since we came here. "Well, I can only thank you for that. I really miss her." He says and he smiles bigger than I think I have seen a human being smile. But the smile disappears when the television shows us the next interview with my cousin. He wants an armistice, or at least that is what he said. People in the dining room calls him a traitor. A coward. But he is forced to say this. He is not saying what he really thinks. He says it just to keep breathing. I can see Peeta is upset because he knows as well as I do that Gale Hawthorne would never say such a thing and mean it. "Excuse me, but I think you are very judgmental. I know him, and I know he would never say such a thing if he was not threatened to his life" Peeta says loudly to the ones who call him those horrible things. "If he was here, he would be the first one to sacrifice himself for the rebellion. He is forced by the capital to say those things." I say and I look at his mother. "Gale is my best friend and I know what I am talking about, so do not come here and say he is a coward. Because you do not know how it is. You have never been forced to do things by that horrible regime." I say. And then something unexpected happens. Madge speaks up for Gale and defends him in his absence.


	21. Chapter 21- The cameras

Author's Note

I am sorry I have not updated this story for some time. I have had a wonderful time with friends I had not seen for more than two years (I am a social butterfly, I know). Old memories were flashing by since I went to school with them (which I do not do anymore). I did read the Hunger Games for the first time when we were in the same class and therefore the theology brings up so much happy memories. Do you guys have a similar bond to these or any other books?

I hope you like my story this far. Have a nice evening or day depending on where you are when you read this. 😊 – A.A.

Chapter 21 – The cameras

Madge Undersee just spoke up for Gale. She is not the one who use to tell everyone her opinions, and I know she only speaks when she thinks it is important. When she really cares about something. I know they became closer before the wedding since they were both there and spent a lot of time together. I could not be with them all the time since Peeta and I had a schedule to follow, but something might have happened. What if she likes him? And what if he likes her? It would be a little strange, since they are two of my best friends, and it is a little strange to think about them together.

Before we go to bed president Coin announce the promises she gave me and Peeta in front of the whole district. Now there is no turning back. Tomorrow Peeta and I are the mockingjays, and we will make everything in our power to help the rebellion. The rebellion I wanted, the rebellion I only dreamed about. When we go to bed that night I am happy. And I think Peeta is too. We put the girls in their cradles and rock them to sleep. I kiss Peeta goodnight and fall asleep listening to his heartbeat. When I wake up again, it is already morning.

The first thing we have to do like the faces of the revolution is showing the world we are alive and well. And fighting against the brutality of the regime of Panem. The first thing we are told to do is to meet our new camera crew. So, we meet Cressida, our director. She is from the capital, that is totally clear when she opens her mouth. No one here has that accent. It is an accent to fear and make fun of in the districts. Gale and I were making fun of it in the woods before the ceremony three years ago. It feels like that day were a decade ago. I was someone else back then, or am I just someone else now? Would the past me be proud of this, future self I have become? Cressida wakes me up from my thoughts in my head, and I feel Peeta's hand in mine. He smiles at me, and I see the sparkles in his eyes. "So, today we are filming in the studio. I want you guys to tell the nation you are alive and well. I need you to tell them they are living a life they do not need to live. That there are alternatives and they can choose to join us for the future we all wanted for the last 75 years." Cressida says. She leaves me and Peeta for thirty minutes to learn the script for the day's video. I hate scripts. It is the worst thing I know. And Peeta knows it. He does not have a problem learning the scripts and make their words to his own. He learns his part and then he reads my part to be able to help me out. When Cressida comes back, she got her camera crew with her. Castor, one of the men in the team, greets us. Pollux, the other man, just nods. I recognize something in his way to swallow, it is too similar to Lavinia and Darius. The red-headed avoxes that were our servants in the capital. Who did not have the ability to speak. The capital took their voice away. The capital took Pollux's voice away. He is an avox. Just like Darius. The peacekeeper, who was one of them who really cared about the district. About its citizens. I will never forget how he risked his own life to help Gale.

We start to shoot and I can do it. I lose myself in the script. I do not remember anything and we have to start over and over. When we do, I hear a voice I would recognize anywhere. Haymitch. He is laughing. He comes into the studio and he grins. "And this is how a revolution dies, my dear ladies and gentlemen. Do you really think this will make people join the fight?" he says. He finds himself hilarious since he chuckles while he says it. "This is completely ridiculous." Cressida Pollux and Castor have already realized it hours ago, but Coin and Plutarch made us keep going. They need a response to the interview with Gale. They need to show we are on their team. Plutarch may be the previous head game maker, but he is not a good director.

"Can you tell me one time when Katniss Everdeen affected you?" Haymitch asks the invited people in the meeting. Here we go again. I remember when he called me a dead slug before the first interviews in the capital. He looks like he could call me that again. I get it, I am not very charming and not very likable. "And I mean when SHE made you feel something. Not a moment when Peeta made something to make you like her. Not when she wore a nice dress. When she made you feel something" He continues. I almost get confused when Cressida asks for the word and tells us about how I affected her when I volunteered for the reaping. Peeta tells the people about the speech in district 11 when I held a speech about the girl with the mockingjays. And when they hear Peeta talk about me talking about Rue, someone mentions the little act of rebellion, when I buried her in flowers. When they have talked about several moments in my past Haymitch asks, "And what did these moments have in common?" and everyone looks at each other. Peeta already knows the answer. I see that in his eyes. "No one told her what to do." He says.


	22. Chapter 22- The new plan

Chapter 22 – The new plan

No one told me what to do. I can't make words someone else wrote in a script into my own. The fire burns out when I try. When people force me to do things I can't put my entire soul in, the outcome won't be satisfying. To anyone. "So, what you guys need to do is to give her space and improvise, and please do not use that studio. It won't feel like it is real anyway. You can at least take her outside and shoot some real stuff. I know Peeta can do it both ways, and I know you win time and resources if you listen to Cressida and her crew. She knows what she is doing and they will succeed, but we must do it in Katniss and Peeta's way." Haymitch explains. The president looks at him, and she doesn't seem very happy to admit he probably is right. One of the officers, Boggs, dares to comment what Haymitch just said. "And wash off the makeup. The girl is 18, but in all that makeup she looks like she is in her mid-thirties" he says and looks at me.

The new plan is simple. The first video we will shoot will be in district 13. Where they always are when they send from the capital. From the building of justice in the district. It is bombed and fallen, but in some ways, it is beautiful. We will rebuild the justice we never had. We want real justice, we want rights for all the citizens of Panem. We want the revolution. And we will make the revolution happen. In the first scene, Peeta and I are standing in the ashes and ruins of the building. Peeta begins to talk. "This is a message to you. To every citizen of Panem." I look at him when he forms the words in his mouth. "This is Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. We are alive and well, and so are our children. As you see we are not in district 12 but in district 13. We were told that this place was not existing. But it does, and the people here are ready to fight for you." He continues and let me speak. "They are taking the fight against a capital we all fear, a capital we all obeyed and a capital that told us we were nothing without them. They made us compete in the Hunger Games, not just to entertain the citizens of the capital, but also to make the districts think of each other as enemies. To tear us apart and refuse to cooperate. And now we need you to join us in our fight against the capital." I say. "To make the revolution happen" Peeta includes.

We meet Beetee, who is taking over the television in the districts and makes efforts to make sure our videos can be seen all over the capital as well. The video is edited and ready to air. He sends it out to all the districts and tries to send it to the capital too. In the dining room, later that day, Peeta and I see ourselves talking to the nation. The broadcasting of our video is interrupted by a new interview from the capital. And they have a special guest on the show. Gale Hawthorne. My best friend and ally. Who I love and miss more than anything in this entire world. Why was I the one they rescued from the arena? He deserves to live. He deserved to be rescued from that horrifying arena, just as much as I did deserve to be rescued. I sit with Acacia, who seems to recognize the face on the screen. Because when she sees Gale she giggles and points at the screen. "Do you miss him, love?" I ask her and then her giggles turn into cries. "I do too, and I hope we will see him soon" I whisper into her little ear. I feel the tear drop down my cheek before I realize I am crying. Once again, he tells us to stop the rebellion. To stop fighting. I know he does not mean what he says. But the citizens of the district do not realize he is just acting to stay alive. To survive. He is paler than in the last interview. I have to talk to president Coin. They have to get him and Annie out as soon as possible. "Do you have any last words for your cousin tonight, Gale?" Caesar asks Gale and he nods. "Yes. Katniss, if you see this I want you to listen to me. Do you know the people you are working with? Are you sure they do not manipulate you and Peeta to do things? Please think about who you are working with and their motives." He says and looks into the camera. And he mimes "I love you. Take care. I hope to see you soon" quickly when Caesar tells the nation to stay tuned to the next episode of interviews. Like they had a choice to watch something else.

"Good night Katniss" Peeta whispers in my ear that night. "Good night Peeta" I respond quietly when he strokes back a strand of hair from my face and kisses me. I kiss him back, deeply. "We have to make something to make them rescue Gale and Annie," I say. "And Johanna," Peeta says and grins when I make a weird face. "You can't forget Johanna, Katniss. She is after all the reason I have you safely in my arms tonight. Without her, you probably should have been trapped in the capital as well." He says and I know he is right. As always, the boy with the bread is right. And I hate to admit it. "Why do you always have to be right?" I sigh and then I smile at him. He just laughs. "Because I am a rightful and kind person, Katniss." He says and he clearly jokes with me. "And you mean I am not?" I ask him, pretending to be upset. And when he pretends to take a moment to think over his answer to that, I tickle him until he comes up with an answer. And I can just tell you, he is extremely ticklish. "Katniss! Stop tickling me!" he begs me." Yes, you are a kind and rightful person, but clearly not when it comes to girls who have a good eye to your best friend." He responds and kisses my cheek. "You would not be too nice toward someone if they, who you particularly like, tried to seduce someone you love either, would you?" I ask. "I guess you now know a little how Gale first felt about me stealing you from him." He laughs and plays with my hair. "And yes, if someone tried to seduce my brothers or someone else I love I suppose I would not be too happy, I guess."


	23. Chapter 23 - The attack

Chapter 23 – The attack

In the morning I am more tired when I went to bed the night before. Peeta looks exhausted. The twins woke up several times, screaming. Like they had nightmares. It took a long time to make them sleep again. And I had terrible nightmares as well, and I do not understand how Peeta manages to be a human being when he opens his eyes. "If they only had coffee in district 13" he mumbles. "I do not think I have been this tired ever before" he continues and sighs. We have to talk to the president today. They must rescue Gale. They will hurt him before we rescue him if we do not take action soon. And what says he isn't hurt already?

Peeta and I are zombies when we walk down to the breakfast and I am really not in the mood to talk to someone. I meet Madge in the hallway, and she offers her help with the wagon. She talks with the twins all the way to the dining room. We get our breakfast and then they air a new interview. And as always, I look into Gales grey eyes. His eyes are not the problem, though. It is everything else. He looks much weaker, much paler and not as muscular as he uses to. I have never seen him like that. They must do something immediately. They must get him out of there. But what he says at the end of the interview is more worrying than anything else. He says that district 13 will be dead in a few hours. And I know that was not empty words because the episode ends with someone hitting him to the floor. I see blood on the floor. It was not a threat, it was a warning. Peeta and I look at each other, and I know he thinks the same way. "We must talk to president Coin, right now," I say and he nods. "We must go now. This can't wait." He agrees. "I can take care of Acacia and Willow if you want me to. My shift does not begin until after lunch." Madge says and I thank her. What would I do without her? She really is a friend. I give her a key to our apartment and then Peeta and I run to the agency where our president is seated. I desperately knock on her door and she tells me to open. "Please, we have to talk to you. Now. It can't wait and I am sorry for interrupting" I say under my breath. "Gale's threat was not a threat. It was a warning." Peeta says. "And we have to save him. They will torture him for this, and we have to save them. Before it is too late. Please" I continue. "Are you sure?" She asks us and we nod desperately. "Yes. I have known Gale since I was twelve and we have been best friends since the day I meet him. I know him, and I know he would do everything to make this rebellion going if he was here. And he does what he can to help us." I say. Alma Coin looks at me. "Aren't you cousins? Didn't you know your cousin before you were twelve?" she asks me. That is not the most important thing right now. "Is that really important right now?" Peeta responds, more irritated then I have seen him before. She does not answer that question and thanks us for the information. She says she will evacuate everyone. Boggs, the officer who thought I looked like a thirty-five-year-old in the makeup, rushes into the agency. "We must evacuate everyone at this moment. There are planes from the capital on the way here right now." He says stressed. "I know," the president says. "They have already told me about it. Evacuate everyone to the bunkers. Now" the president demands and Peeta and I can just run to our apartment to get the girls and Madge out of danger.

Peeta, Madge, Acacia and Willow and I are safe in the bunker. Then I find my mother, who is helping the hospital evacuate the patients. "Where is Prim?" I ask her. My mother just shakes her head. "I thought she was with you and Peeta" she whispers. Hazelle comes and I see Vick and Posy, but I can't find Rory in the crowd. "Hazelle! Have you seen Prim?" I ask her and she shakes her head. "Have you seen Rory?" She asks us. No, we have not seen him or Prim. "The damn cat. I hate that awful cat. She went back for the horrible cat" I cry and hand over Acacia to Madge and start to run toward the doors. They are soon closing the gates and I hear Peeta scream my name "Katniss! Come back!", but I am just into what I have to do. Save my sister, who is most likely saving the cat. Maybe Rory is with her as well. I run up the stairs and shout her name, "Primrose! Where are you?" At the very top of the stairs, I hear a voice respond. It is not Prim's, it is Rory's. "We are here! We are coming!" He shouts back. I see them running, and as I predicted, she carries the awful cat in her arms. "One minute left. Go to the evacuation bunker." I hear in the speaker tell me. They come closer and closer to me, and I keep running toward them. Finally, I meet my sister and my "little cousin" and I take the cat under one arm and Prims hand in my other hand. Rory runs in front of us and he shouts to the guards by the gates to our saving. "We are coming! Wait for us! Please!" and when they hear him they open the gate for us.

I am sitting in the bed where I will sleep tonight. Peeta sits next to me, and the girls are sleeping. And I am happy they do. I have a flashlight in my hand, and I play with the dumb cat. He is hunting the light and the children laugh at him. Peeta looks at me and smiles. "Let him rest now, Katniss!" Prim says, and I turn off the light, and the cat looks desperately for the light that disappeared. He looks confused at me, and then he goes to Prim, and he purrs when she pets him. It is cold down here, and I freeze badly. I find a blanket in the coffer we have our essentials. I wrap it around me and sit closer to Peeta, and sitting closer than I did mean that I now sit in his lap. I wrap my arms around him and my hands explore his back. He rests his lips against my neck, hiding his face in my hair and wraps his arms around me. We sit like that the rest of the evening, listening to bombs falling from above.


	24. Chapter 24 - A million roses

Hi everyone!

It was a few months since the last real update here. But here it is. I hope you enjoy it 😊. I am reupdating the already existing chapters since there are a few things my perfectionistic brain just wants to correct.

All the love to all of you who have followed my story this long. – A.A.

Chapter 24 – A million roses

That night we sleep to the sound of bombs falling from above. All I can think about in the dark is how my life changed. It changed so fast and now I am here. One of the two faces of the revolution. Only eighteen years old. I feel helpless. I am just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary life. I got lucky and did not die in the games, Snow did not have the time to kill me and I was the priority in the arena. Gale, on the other hand, was not as lucky. He always dreamed about this. The big rebellion. He wanted it to happen so bad, that I sometimes thought he would manage to start one on his own. Now he is in the capital and is forced to help his enemies. How it must hurt. To battle his friends, his family, his own flesh and blood. He put himself in that dangerous position just to save my life. He volunteered to save Peeta. By saving Peeta he saved more than I would ever request by anyone. He wanted to sacrifice even more for me. His own life. And I couldn't even get him out of the arena.

That morning I wake up in Peeta's arms. He is still sleeping, and so are the girls, my mother, and my little sister. I decide to stay where I am until they wake up by themselves. Until then I play a little with Peeta's blond locks and watch him sleep. He looks worn and tired. But at the same time, he looks younger and more lovable than ever. I have never needed him as I do right now. Without him, I do not what I would do. He is the fuel to my fire. Without him, I would never have had the power to make this. I can't do this on my own. With him, I am never lonely. When he says that he will always stand by my side I do not doubt a second. Today we must convince President Coin that we have to save Gale.

That day we talk to Coin, and she realizes that we must do something to save Gale. We can't abandon him in the horrible capital forever. We must take action. Today. And so, we shall. To help Peeta and I record something to distract the capital while a team of volunteers travels their way to the capital. Within twenty-four hours I will know if my best friend is back in my life. And not just on the screen in the dining room. For this event, they bring Finnick from his room in the hospital since he has some interesting stories to tell. When we walk out from the underground and up to the air we see something awfully beautiful. A million roses. A million white roses. That smells exactly like the one I got at the victory tour. Cressida asks why the dropped roses. And I just respond that the roses are for me and Peeta. In the sea of flowers, we tell the stories of everyone we have lost through the games. I tell about Rue. The little girl from district 11 who died in the first arena. Then I tell about Molly and Jake. Peeta talks about Jake and Molly. And he talks about some of the tributes that competed to survive this year. I cry when he tells the horror story he woke up to when the quarter quell was announced. The horror he went through when he was forced to mentor me and Gale. But I did not realize that I would cry even more while we listened to Finnick. He tells us about his life after the games. How he was forced to sell his body to the people of the capital. How they threatened to kill the people he cares about if he did not agree to it. He tells about the secrets his costumers told him to pay for his company. He tells the secrets of Coriolanus Snow. The deep secrets no one in the district, and may be very few in the capital knew about the snake. The poison he used to kill his enemies with. How he drank from the same glass to escape suspicion. He is even more toxic than I first thought.

That evening Peeta and I are too nervous to sleep, and the girls sense it and sleep very poorly. They wake up and go to sleep over and over again. Tonight, it is happening. Tonight, everything changes. Whether the team succeeds or not. Tonight, it is decided if Gale Hawthorne will join us or if he dies.

Chapter 25 – Hawthorne

I wake up by the noise of someone knocking at the door to our apartment. When I watch the clock at the wall I realize it is still in the early AM. In confusion, I walk up to the door and open it. And behind that door, I find my mother. Her smile says it all. "They are back." She says. First, I cannot process what she just said. It is like I am just dreaming. It feels so unreal. We have waited for this for so long, and finally, they managed to do it. "What did you say?" I ask my mother. She repeats herself and I cry happy tears. Peeta comes behind me. He looks tired and confused. "What is going on, Katniss?" he asks me. Then he sees my mother outside our flat. "Oh, good morning miss Everdeen," he says in a husky voice. My mother tells the good news and tells us where Gale is. They got the other victors out as well, and I smile when I realize Annie Cresta is safe. That Finnick will find some peace at last. "Can we see them now?" Peeta and I ask with one mouth.

A few seconds later we run down the stairs together, holding each other's hands. I am so eager to meet my best friend after being separated for so long. Peeta looks happier than I have seen him for a long time. He is happy Gale is safe with us, in district 13. And I am happy he can feel that way. Our smiles must be a little wild and crazy since the local staff just stare at us when we run into the hospital. Of cause, they know our faces. I was at the hospital when I first came here, and Peeta and I are two familiar faces they have seen on television many times. They know we are crazy. No one in their right mind makes president Snow angry. And Peeta and I have caused more problems than anyone else have ever done. The president hates us. The girl in the reception tells someone we are here to meet Gale, and a nurse guides us through a maze of corridors. And there, behind a wall of glass, I see the familiar face of the boy who was my first real friend. The boy who now is a young man, who sacrificed everything for me and Peeta. His badly bruised face is calm in his sleep. I see Hazelle sitting by his side. Just like she did when he lay on our dining table after the incident on the square in district 12. I see tears in her eyes and a bright smile on her worn face. She was worried sick when he was in the capital. She can now hold his hand and touch him. The only way of seeing her son was on the big screen in the dining room. Now he is real again. When Peeta and I walk into them, she doesn't even notice. She just talks quietly to him. Even if he is asleep and does not hear her. Suddenly he opens his eyes.


	25. Chapter 25 - Hawthorne

Chapter 25 – Hawthorne

I wake up by the noise of someone knocking at the door to our apartment. When I watch the clock at the wall I realize it is still in the early AM. In confusion I walk up to the door and open it. And behind that door I find my mother. Her smile says it all. "They are back." She says. First, I cannot process what she just said. It is like I am just dreaming. It feels so unreal. We have waited for this for so long, and finally they managed to do it. "What did you say?" I ask my mother. She repeats herself and I cry happy tears. Peeta comes behind me. He looks tired and confused. "What is going on, Katniss?" he asks me. Then he sees my mother outside our flat. "Oh, good morning miss Everdeen" he says in a husky voice. My mother tells the good news and tells us where Gale is. They got the other victors out as well, and I smile when I realize Annie Cresta is safe. That Finnick will find some peace at last. "Can we see them now?" Peeta and I ask with one mouth.

A few seconds later we run down the stairs together, holding each other's hands. I am so eager to meet my best friend after being separated for so long. Peeta looks happier than I have seen him for a long time. He is happy Gale is safely with us, in district 13. And I am happy he can feel that way. Our smiles must be a little wild and crazy, since the local staff just stare at us when we run into the hospital. Of cause, they know our faces. I was at the hospital when I first came here, and Peeta and I are two familiar faces they have seen on television many times. They know we are crazy. No one in their right mind make president Snow angry. And Peeta and I have caused more problems than anyone else have ever done. The president hates us. The girl in the reception tells someone we are here to meet Gale, and a nurse guides us through a maze of corridors. And there, behind a wall of glass I see the familiar face of the boy who was my first real friend. The boy who now is a young man, who sacrificed everything for me and Peeta. His badly bruised face is calm in his sleep. I see Hazelle sitting by his side. Just like she did when he lay on our dining table after the incident on the square in district 12. I see tears in her eyes, and a bright smile on her worn face. She was worried sick when he was in the capital. She can now hold his hand and touch him. The only way of seeing her son was on the big screen in the dining room. Now he is real again. When Peeta and I walk into them, she doesn't even notice. She just talks quietly to him. Even if he is asleep and does not hear her. Suddenly he opens his eyes.


	26. Chapter 26- The rescues

Chapter 26 – The rescues

The eyes open. I see the grey iris that reminds me of home. Of the old days when I was just an ordinary girl from the coalminer district. Of the old days when I used to meet Gale by the stone in the woods of district 12. Of the children with dark hair and silver eyes running down the streets of the Seam. It is the eyes of my best friend. But something is different. I do not see the fire, the fighting spirit, and anger in them. Instead, I see fear. He crumbles in tears and tries to get away from something. The nurse comes in, and she tries to calm him down. But he refuses to, and he just screams in complete horror. "Take them away. They will kill me." He screams loudly and Hazelle just talks with a calm voice and ask him who he refers to, and he points at me. Me and Peeta. "But Gale, it is your friends. You have known Katniss since you were fourteen and you have known Peeta for almost a year." Hazelle tells her son. But he keeps screaming like his life was soon to be over. "They just tell you that. They try to manipulate you. They want to kill you too. And Posy, Vick and Rory as well." Gale screams. I feel the tears coming, and I can't stand it anymore when I finally walk out of the room. When Peeta comes after me, he embraces me with a hug, and I cry in his shirt. "He hates me." I cry. And Peeta tries to convince me he is just confused and disorientated. "He just came back from the capital, love. No one knows what they have done to him, or the others. He needs time to process everything. And of the cause, he doesn't hate you. You know that" he whispers in my hair. On the other side of the hallway I see Finnick hugging a girl I suppose is Annie. The redhaired girl Mags volunteered for in the quarter quell. They are crying, but it is not the tears of sorrow. It is tears of pure happiness. They lean in to kiss each other, and they kiss each other deeply. When Peeta and I see that, we smile and walk over to them. "Hi," Peeta says and Finnick looks up from a curtain of red tangled hair. "Um… Hi guys" he says, and his face turns into a slightly redder color than before. He is actually blushing. Something I never thought I would see Finnick of all people do. Finnick Odair never blushes. But then I remember it isn't Finnick, it is the twisted picture you get from years of watching him with countless lovers on television. The lovers he did not love, did not even choose himself. Annie is real. She is someone he loves for real. Someone he never was forced to love.

We sit with Annie and Finnick for a while. Annie falls asleep against Finnick's shoulder after a few minutes. She is still holding his hand, and I see a smile on her face. Even in her dreams, she knows that she is safe. That she now is with someone who loves and cares for her. We talk quietly with Finnick, to not wake her up. "So, why are you not with your cousin, Katniss?" Finnick asks me. "Oh, I have already seen him. Peeta too. And he is afraid of us. He thinks that we will kill him." I say in sorrow. Peeta fills in with his theory about Gale being confused. But I can't believe that explication. The capital must have done something to him. Gale is not like that. He is not an afraid person. And when he is afraid of something he never shows it. I have never seen him crying of horror. Not even when I volunteered for the reaping when Prim was picked. Not even when the new head peacekeeper hit him in the square he cried. I only have one memory of him crying. It was in the building of justice a lifetime ago. When Gale and I received the medals for our fathers, who died in the same accident in the mines. At that time, we did not even know each other. I had only seen him in school and at the Hob. Maybe in the Seam too. But I never talked to him back then. He was already getting attention from a lot of girls who admired him, who thought he was handsome. And I was no one. I did not have friends. I was introvertly silenced and did not want to talk with anyone. But then I meet him in the woods, and since that day he was my best friend. But now, I don't even know if he ever will talk to me. Not see me as the monster he sees when he looks at me. But I am not a monster. I am the Mockingjay. And the mockingjays are just partly monstered the capital created. A nail in the eye.


	27. Chapter 27- The fights

Chapter 27 – The fights

When I finally wake up that morning I cry. I probably cried in my sleep as well. Gale is back. He is safe. Not in the hands of the capital anymore. But he is afraid of me. Which is laughable, since he is much taller and older than me. And we are not allowed to carry any weapons in district 13. He thinks that Peeta and I will hurt him. It is worse than if he attacked me or something. He is not the Gale Hawthorne I know. Not the Gale I knew. Not the boy I left behind in the arena. The capital changed him into a weak creature with bruises and horrible scars. They didn't just scar and bruise his body. They scared his soul, his mind and everything he is. Everything he was. I am not sure if he will ever be the same man I love as my cousin and best friend. My gut tells me I lost something I was not prepared to lose the night when I blew out the forcefield in the arena. He did something I will never repay. He risked his own life to save my family. And what did I do to thank him? Leave him in the bloody arena for the capital to do whatever they did. I am possibly the worse friend of all time, maybe the worst human being to walk on this earth. I feel worthless and hopeless when Peeta's eyes meet mine. The blue innocent eyes sparkle at me. Peeta is so pure, so innocent and genuinely good person. He never killed another person. Foxface from our first game barely counts as one of his victims. She died because of her own actions because she thought he knew what he picked. She did not know he picked the most lethal berries in Panem. He did not know either. I am just happy he did not eat them himself. I feel his hand dry my tears falling down my cheeks. Then I feel his mouth against mine. One of his arms around my waist, and the other hand exploring my long hair. I desperately kiss him back, with my hands pressed to his chest and shoulders. I kiss him until I have no more air in my lungs. Then we just lay in bed, just looking into each other's eyes. "What are you thinking about?" he asks me. He puts a strain of hair back behind my ear. "I think about the horrible person I am. That I do not deserve you. To not mention how little I deserve Gale if he ever becomes who he once was. That I can't see how anyone could love a killer, a murderer like me." I whisper under my breath. I see a tear in the corner of his eye. I continue to list everything I got, even if I do not deserve them and Peeta tells me to be quiet. "I love you." He says. Three simple words. "How can you love me? I am a murderer Peeta." I tell him. "If you are a murderer Katniss, so am I.," he says, and his bright blue eyes turn a shade darker. "You never killed anyone, Peeta. You are not a murderer." I argue. "I don't think Foxface would agree with you Katniss." He answers, a little irritated. "She died because of something she did herself. You can't take responsibility for actions you did not have an impact on." I answer, also irritated. "She wouldn't have died if I did not pick those horrible berries, Katniss. And you know that too." Peeta says and I see he is upset now. "But it doesn't matter, Katniss. I love you, even if you are a murderer" he continues.

I flee the apartment after our first real fight. The fight was ridiculous, really. But I am still angry with him when I run to the door of the apartment where my mother and sister lives. I knock at the door and they let me in. By that time, I am red and swollen by the tears falling down my face and my sister just looks at me. "What happened Katniss?" my mother asks me, worried about me. "Peeta and I had our first big argue this morning. And I am still angry with him. But I don't want to be angry with him, because I love him." I cry and crash into my mother's arms. She embraces me, and I smell the familiar scent of my mother. My sister asks me where he is, and I tell her he is in our apartment, taking care of the twins. "What did you fight about, love?" My mother asks me and strokes her hand down my back repeatedly. "It's complicated," I respond. They put me in a chair and make me explain everything from the beginning. Everything ends up in a similar fight like the one I had with Peeta, and once again I flee the apartment. I hide in a storage space one floor down, where I hope no one will find me. I cry and feel bad. Feel the self-hate embrace my soul, my mind and my entire being. Then I fall asleep against the wall. I am totally exhausted by screaming and fighting with everyone. And by being a mother to twins when I am really just a child myself. Even if I am an adult according to the law I feel just like a child. And I can't handle the stress anymore. I dream a horrible nightmare. I am running through the woods to rescue Gale and Peeta. But as soon as I am there they are gone. That dream turns into another dream. Everyone I have ever loved stands in front of me, and they repeatedly tell me what a horrible person I am. That they hate me. That they will never love me again. And that no one will ever love me again. The dream turns into other dreams. All about how I lose someone I love, or them hating me and turning their back to me. But I know it is just symbols for how much I fear and hate myself.

When I open my eyes, I feel someone's body against mine. I am still in the storage space. When I look up to see who it is I see the blue innocent eyes of Peeta Mellark, with a bright smile on his face. I slept against his shoulder, and I get a flashback to the caves in the first arena I ever entered. "Hi Sweetheart" he whispers in my ear. When I see him, I get feelings of guilt "Oh, Peeta. I am so sorry." I say. "You don't have to apologize, love. I forgave you the second I found you. I am sorry for picking up a fight with you, on the other hand. It was silly, and I shouldn't have lost my temper as I did. I guess we are both concerned about Gale and everything" Peeta looks into my eyes. "I love you, Peeta." Is the only thing I find to say. So, I say it and press my lips against his. "And I love you more than you could ever imagine, Katniss." He says and steals a kiss from me. "And I love you more, Peeta," I say.


	28. Chapter 28 - Princess of district 12

Chapter 28 – Princess of district 12

When Peeta and I come back to our apartment, Madge takes care of the twins. She smiles at us when she sees our hands connected. We are not fighting anymore. "So, you finally found her then, Peeta?" She says and feeds Acacia with some porridge. "Yeah, after an hour or so," he says and smiles at me. I pick Willow up and sit with her on the bed. The twins have grown so fast. Willow can already sit up by herself without any support. I play bo-peep with her and she laughs at me. I see that Peeta smiles at us from the table where he sits with Madge and Acacia, talking about the rescue of Gale. "So, you mean you can't visit him since he is afraid of you?" she asks him. Peeta just nods sadly. "He is not afraid of his mother or his younger siblings, but he can't stand it when we or Finnick comes to visit. He just screams that we will kill him or torture him and his family." Peeta explains. Madge gets a tear in her eye and comes to the bed to hug me. "I am so sorry for what happened to Gale. I know how much he means to you." She says, and I thank her for being so supportive. "The worst part of it all is that I don't know if there is any way back to who he used to be," I say. "And the feelings of guilt I have. It makes me hate myself and fears what we have accomplished. I am afraid of myself and the revolution Peeta and I fueled." I say. Madge looks at me and takes my hand. "You know what Katniss? Only the future knows what will happen to Gale. But I know that if they can cure him, you will love him like he was your own brother, even if he isn't the same guy you used to hunt within the woods of 12." She says. "I still love you and Peeta and you are not the same as you were when we went to school in 12 either. You were always kind to me when no one else was. They hated me because I was rich and didn't need to take any extra slips in the games. Neither of you is the same. I just know that you two were the only I could talk to and that I love you for it." She says. I never knew this about her. That she was so unpopular because of her father's position. I never thought about it like that. And I didn't know Peeta and Madge were friends before the 73rd annual hunger games either. It makes sense since both of them grew up in town and are the same age. Peeta is always nice to people and he is easy to talk to, so it doesn't really surprise me. Madge is a wonderful listener and always nice to people she meets. "You two talked back in 12?" I ask. And Madge and Peeta both nods. "Who else would I have talked to about my feelings for you? My friends would have laughed at me. I wanted to get to know you, but I was too shy to even talk to you before our first game. And I had to talk to someone you knew, and Gale was obviously not the right person to talk to, so I talked about it with Madge and we became friends." Peeta says and his face turns red. When he is embarrassed he always blushes so hard, that he looks like a tomato. "So, you knew he liked me the whole time? Even before the games?" I ask Madge. She just laughs and nods. "Of cause, I knew." I look at my boyfriend. And he laughs too. "But why didn't you tell me?" I ask her. She just looks at me like I was crazy or something. "Because I promised Peeta to not tell you, and it was way more romantic when he told you himself. Even if he told you in front of the whole nation." Both Madge and I laugh, and Willow laughs with us. I just look at Peeta, who looks a little embarrassed. "You two are such star-gazers," I say and walk over to Peeta, who is cleaning up the mess of Acacia's food adventure and kiss him. "What did I do to deserve these two star-gazers?" I ask and look at Acacia who is still in her chair. She is happily playing with the spoon.

 _Madge's point of view_

I go to the hospital. Katniss's mother sees me. "Hi, Madge. How are you?" she asks me. "I am just fine, Mrs. Everdeen. I am just here to see Gale. I want to see him for myself." I say, and she smiles at me. "Peeta and Katniss told you he is afraid and not who he used to be, right?" I nod, and she shows me to his room at the hospital. I see a few nurses from district 13 in there and I knock on the door before I enter. "Is it a good time for visitors?" I whisper to the nurse when I see that their patient sleeps. She walks out to me, in the corridor. "Who are you, miss?" she asks me. "I am Madge Undersee, a friend of Gale's." I respond. She nods understandingly and let me in. I sit in the chair by the bed. Watching the boy I have always admired and liked in secret. No one knows because I was ashamed for it. A girl from town should not like a boy from the Seam. Not the major's daughter. She was supposed to fall in love with a boy from the town. But I was not the only one who liked him, almost all the girls thought he was handsome and brave. Gale was somewhat an exception from the rest of the boys from the Seam. I liked when he and Katniss used to come to sell me strawberries in the summer. I remember the morning of the reaping almost three years ago. I wore a white dress, and he told me the dress was beautiful. Now I sit by his bed in a hospital in a district we did not know existed. "Mom?" I hear from the bed. He knows someone is in the room. But I am not Hazelle. "No. It is Madge. Do you remember me?" I say gently. His eyes open and I see the grey iris that looks like the coal in the mines. "Yes. I remember you." He says, and I think I can see a little smile on his face. "How are you?" I ask him, and his smile becomes more visible. "I am okay. I get painkillers, which makes the pain go away. And how is the princess of district 12 doing?" he grins. I remember that nickname. "I am just fine. I am happy you are doing okay." I answer. "So, what have my princess done today?" He asks me, and I try to figure out what to say. I can't tell him I was babysitting Acacia and Willow and was with Katniss and Peeta in the afternoon. "I have been at work all day." I lie. I only lie because I do not want to upset him. He is not afraid of me, and I don't want to change that. I must be a pretty good actress because he believes me. "So, even pretty princesses work in district 13?" He asks me sarcastically. And I nod and grin at him. "You look tired. Do you want me to leave?" I ask him politely and stand up. He shakes his head. "No, don't leave yet. Please, Madge" He answers and reaches for my hand. He takes it and I sit back down. "Okay, I won't leave." I say and look at his hand in mine. He blushes a little and let go of it. "It is just so lonely here. I feel lonelier than I have ever felt in my whole life in this hospital." He explains himself. "Don't you have visitors often?" I ask discreetly. "My family came yesterday. And the monsters and the sea monster came too." I see his fear, and the anger in his eyes and I try to change the topic. I don't want to talk badly about Katniss, Peeta or even Finnick, who Gale referred to as the "sea monster". I do not know Finnick but I know Katniss and Peeta do. He seems like a nice man. I saw him in the dining room earlier this day. He and his girlfriend Annie, who also was rescued with Gale, sat by one of the tables and looked deeply into each other's eyes. They held hands and kissed each other. Everyone saw it was not for show. They are so in love, I can't understand how that it didn't show when they were on television together. In district 13 they are more reserved and not even married couples kiss in public. They are not used to this. Married couples might hold each other's hand on the way to the dining room, or maybe to work. I have heard the native teenagers from district 13 talk about the Star-crossed-lovers. In a way, they find it cute and exciting, but in another way, they are disgusted by it. Peeta and Katniss are used to be forced to have a public relationship, and they don't know about anything else. People expect them to kiss each other deeply on televisions and in real life. People expect them to never argue and just be the ideal cute couple all the time. People expect things by them that are not human. No one is perfect. But Katniss and Peeta are expected to be.

Gale finally falls asleep and I kiss his cheek before I go. "See you tomorrow, Hawthorne" I whisper in his ear and I see that he smiles a little when I finally leave. When I am in the corridor I wonder what I should do. Should I tell Katniss and Peeta I visited? Should I stay quiet? Why am I doing this? For myself or for him? Or maybe for both of us?


	29. Chapter 29 - Back to 12

Author's note

Hi everyone! How do you like the latest chapters? Should I do parts where I write in other's point of view (like I did in chapter 28)? Or do you prefer only one point of view in the story? Please tell me your opinions in the reviews!

All the love to everyone who still read this story. It is now so long I have to reread to even remember it all myself.

A.A.

Chapter 29 – Back to 12

Peeta and I are in meetings all morning. Coin wants us to do another video to support the rebellions in the other districts. "We need to give them hope and fuel to go on fighting," Coin says. Peeta and I look at each other. "Send us somewhere, then," I say and look at our president. "We can't do much from here. We must do something real to help them. We can't sit in district 13 if we want this rebellion to take over the capital" Peeta agrees with me. Coin look down at her nails and think about what we said. "But we can't risk you. You are the faces of the revolution." She says, and her servants agree with her. "We didn't say we wanted to go to the centrum of the fights. Send us to district 12 if you can't send us somewhere else. Record when we talk about the torture our people have gone through. Just let us go somewhere, to show them we are really fighting with them." Peeta says. I watch him speak, and I see his blond eyelashes in the light of the lamp. Peeta convinces miss Coin that we should go. She says that we could go within an hour.

Peeta and I sit in the hovercraft with our camera team. Cressida, our director sit face to face with me. Pollux and Castor sit next to her, and they smile at me. The capital brothers who turned against their leader. I hold Peeta's hand. My father's jacket hangs around my shoulders and warms my cold body. When I wear the jacket I remember the days when I used to hunt with Gale in the woods. I remember the times in the woods I shared with my father. Me swimming in the lake and picking strawberries in the sun. I remember everyone I have lost when I wear the jacket of my dead father. Under the jacket is the plain grey uniform everyone wears in district 13.

In district 12 everything is the same as the last time we saw our destroyed home. The corpses of our people are just a little more rotten. More people have turned into skeletons. But the district is still the same as the last time we went here. We start to record where the building of Justice once was. Now there are only ruins left. We talk about old memories from our old school. "When we were younger I used to watch Katniss go home from school from the schoolyard here," Peeta says. "Now there are no kids who walk to school here. Because of the regime of Panem, the kids that we used to walk to school with are dead. Ten percent of our people survived the firebombing. Hazelle Hawthorne, the mother to Gale Hawthorne who is a dear friend of ours and Katniss's cousin, is a heroine. Without her, there wouldn't have been any witnesses of the horrible bombings in district 12." He says, and I see a tear in his eye. "The capital says that they want to protect us, but they only use us. In their hands we are slaves. And they turned us against each other by making us compete in the Hunger Games. Let's return the favor and fight with me, Peeta and all the rebellions that are fighting for a better future for all of us. In a future where we all have the power to make our voices heard. In a future where everyone can live in peace." I say to the camera.

We walk down the road to the bakery, where the metal from the ovens is the only thing left. "This was the bakery where I grew up. By that tree, or what's left of it, Katniss sat against that tree a late evening when we were eleven years old" Peeta tells. "We were starving at home. My father died in the mines in an accident the same year. Without Peeta, our family would have died, just like so many others did." I fill in.

We go to the Seam, to the area where I used to live. Where Gale used to live. I walk down to the place where my old house was standing. I say a few words about the place where I used to live and then we move on, further into the Seam, where the house of my cousins used to be. "Gale. This is where you used to live. I know that the capital changed your memories of me and Peeta. But I just want you to know that I will always love the person I used to hunt with, the person who sacrificed his own life to save Peeta and to protect and save me in the arena. You are the best friend and cousin someone could ever as for." I say as we walk by.

We go to the lake for our lunch, and a few mockingjays fly between the trees. Pollux, who is an avox, point at a bird flying by and points at my pin I wear on the jacket. "Yes, that is a Mockingjay," I say, and he smiles. When we sit down by the lake Pollux whistle a simple melody, and the birds sing after him. Then he points at me. "Do you want me to sing?" I ask him, and he eagerly nods. I don't sing very often. I sang to Rue in the first arena, and sometimes when Prim was little I sang to her. And just like Peeta told in the cold caves, I sang in front of the whole class when I was five and our teacher asked us if someone knew the Valley song. Now I sit with him by the lake in district twelve, with a camera team from a district we thought were extinct. I start to sing the first song that comes to mind. I sing about the hanging tree. An old song that my father used to sing when we bathed and swam when I was little. It is a horrible song if you listen to the lyrics, but the melody is beautiful.

"Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
They strung up a man  
They say who murdered three  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it be  
If we met at midnight  
In the hanging tree"

I finish the song and see tears in Castor's eyes. Then I note the camera in his hand. I thought they did not record it, but they did. "I swear that the mockingjays did quieten down to listen to when you sang, Katniss," Peeta says and takes my hand and kiss it. I blush a little and watch a Mockingjay in a tree taking up the melody of the song. We eat our sandwiches we got brought from district 13, the cheese melts in my mouth and I drink the water from the little creek I used to fill my water bottles with when I hunted my food myself. "Do you sing often, Katniss?" Cressida asks me when we walk through the woods that I know better than my own pocket. Castor wasn't sure we would find our way back to the district, and Peeta just laughed and told the team I find better in these woods than I did in our old house in the victor's village. "No" I answer Cressida's question. "Why not? You are a real talent." Crastor says. I don't want to answer that question, and I hear Peeta answer it for me. "It brings up memories of her father. I remember him going to the Hob with his game bag, and he was always singing. Mr. Everdeen was known as the coal miner who always sang on his way to work. He was a really good singer, just as his daughter is."


	30. Chapter 30- The visit

Author's note

This is chapter 30, everyone. To celebrate we have come this far, I will write a little longer chapter than usual. I will also write from different points of views in this chapter. Enjoy!

I have rewritten all the chapters, so now the entire story should be better grammatically, thanks to the spell and grammar check I found online it didn't take too long to correct all my errors.

As always, your opinions and thoughts are always welcome in the Reviews or as a PM if you prefer to write a message directly to me.

May the odds be ever in your favor! – A.A.

Chapter 30 – The visit

 _From Prim's view_

The nurses who care for Gale talk about different cures we could try to hijack him back into the person we used to know. Alania, a slim and tall nurse talks to one of the doctors. I am there as an intern to learn about the medical system in district 13. I am under education and have theory mixed with practical studies in the hospital. They even want to educate me to become a doctor. I haven't told Katniss or Peeta yet. Mum knows, of the cause." When the blond girl visited him yesterday, he actually smiled. He hasn't smiled since he got here, but yesterday he did. Not even when his family came to visit he smiled. To not talk about when Mr. Mellark and miss Everdeen came to visit him. He was terrified when they visited." Alania informs Dr. Malva Anderson, who is in charge of his rehabilitation. "It is such a shame since they are cousins and all. You can see that it really hurts miss Everdeen to not be able to talk to him." Alania says. She looks at me with compassion. "He isn't our cousin, really," I say. They look surprised at me. "Wasn't your father and his mother siblings?" Alania asks me, and I shake my head. "The capital lied about many things. Gale being my cousin is one of them. Gale and Katniss didn't know each other until Katniss was twelve and he was fourteen. Gale and his siblings are like cousins to us, though. But we are not related." I say. "But why lie about such a thing?" Alana asks me. "It did not look good when Katniss had another handsome friend of the male gender when she and Peeta were falling in love with each other in the arena. Even if there never was more than really close friendship between my sister and Gale they did not want any speculations when Gale did not want to smile and wave into the camera." I say. "Do you know that blond girl, what was her name again?" Alania wonders. "Madge Undersee?" I suggest, and she nods. "She is a dear friend of my sister and Peeta," I answer. "How well does she know Mr. Hawthorne?" Dr. Anderson asks me. "They were in different classes in school, and she was from town and he was from the Seam. I know that Gale and Katniss used to sell strawberries to her and her family in the summer. And they of cause talked a little in the capital when Katniss and Peeta were getting married. Other than that, they do not know each other." I say. "Can someone bring that girl here?" the doctor asks, and someone sends a message to her to come to the hospital.

 _From Madge's point of view_

"So, you think I could help him?" I say. It sounds weird that I, who only know him briefly know him could possibly help him. "Miss Undersee, he has smiled once since he came to district 13. And that was when you visited him yesterday." A nurse tells me. I become warm inside. He hasn't smiled since he came here, with one exception. When I came to visit yesterday. "The new video of Peeta and Katniss in district 12 will air within thirty minutes. And we want to do an experiment. What we need you to do is to walk into him and talk calmly about anything that doesn't upset him. And then we will show him the footage of them. You just have to be there and support him." The doctor says. It should be pretty easy. But only if he is not upset by the footage. I walk into him in his room. Today I see his eyes when I walk in the door. "Good morning, Princess" I hear from the bed. "Hello," I reply. "Can I sit down?" I ask him, and he nods. I see a hint to a smile on his lips. "How are you today, then?" I ask him and now he smiles at me. "Better now when I have some company" he answers cheekily. I feel the butterflies fly in my stomach. A nurse knocks on the door and comes in with a tray with his breakfast. "Here is your breakfast, Mr. Hawthorne," she says and smiles at us. "Thank you nurse Gilbert," he says and smiles at the nurse. I see that she is used to another version of the man next to me because she looks surprised by the smile. "I am glad to see you are in a good temper today, Mr. Hawthorne," she says before she leaves. He eats his breakfast and we are talking about something that happened in school a few years ago. Suddenly the television wakes up to send the footage of Katniss and Peeta in district 12. I miss district 12, the place that was my home. Now it is nothing left, besides the victor's village. I was one of the few from the town that survived. My mother did not, since she did not have the power to run fast enough. My father and I tried to help her out from our home, but she kept saying "Harald Undersee, please save yourself and our daughter. Leave me behind. That is my last wish, that you and Madge are safe. Please, run!". So, we did run toward the fence with Peeta's parents and brothers. Hazelle and a few of Gale's workmates took down the fence and Rory did show us the way to the little lake. We found Katniss and Gale's bows and arrows, and a few knives. Rory was the best popper left of the surviving citizens of our district. Katniss and Gale weren't there since Gale was on the way to the capital and Katniss were on her way to district 13. When I see what's left of my former home I want to cry. Nothing is left. I watch Gale, who is sitting in his bed. "Katniss." He says and points at the screen. They show a scene from the lake, where Katniss sings an old song from the district. She keeps singing in the background when they show other footage of the destruction of our home. When Peeta talks on the schoolyard, I see that Gale recognizes him and the place. He keeps watching in silence. I see a tear in his eyes when the video ends. "I miss them so much. Where are they?" he asks me. I answer him they came to visit him a few days ago. He just shakes his head and tells me he can't remember any of it.

 _From Peeta's point of view_

Katniss and I are on our way to the hospital. Gale saw the footage of us in district 12. And he did not react like he did when he met us the first time after he was rescued. Maybe he is just confused. Maybe we can have him back in our lives. Madge has seen him twice since he came here, Katniss's mother and Prim told us when we ate supper last night. And they said he was smiling for the first time since coming here when she was there. And today he said he misses us. I feel so happy when we are walking down the corridor. I can see the joy and happiness in her face. I can't remember when I saw her this happy. When I see the familiar door to the hospital Katniss get so excited she starts to run towards the door. I try to keep up with her, but she is in way better shape than I am. And she gave birth less than seven months ago to twins, went into a Hunger Games arena and got badly injured and almost died by being electrified. I did not do any of that, and I am the one who has to catch my breath when we are finally by the door. I was at the hospital with the girls to visit Katniss every day for two weeks. I know the maze of corridors at the hospital, but a nurse shows us the way to Gale's room anyway. "You should not go in at the same time. He finds it stressful when more than two people are in his room at the same time." She says and I look at Katniss. "A nurse will be in the room, just in case if something happens." Nurse Gilbert explains and we nod. "What are you waiting, for?" I ask Katniss, who is standing paralyzed next to the door. She smiles at me, and I return a smile. I know how she has longed for this moment. I know how much this means to her. I mean a lot to me too. "Go in and see him!" I say. She kisses my cheek and opens the door. She walks in.

 _From Gale's point of view_

The door opens. I see a girl in the doorway. Katniss. "Hello," She says as she closes the door. "Can I sit in the chair next to you, Gale?" she asks me and I nod. My heart is beating faster as she walks towards me. I do not know why. I see one of those weird memories of her in my head. It is shimmering around it. I see her shoot a boy. In the heart. He dies in the grass. It feels like something from that memory is erased from my memory. I try to remember what I have forgotten. I try to calm myself down. She sits in the chair next to the bed, and she looks straight into my eyes. The eyes are said to be the mirror of the soul. Her eyes are grey. Alive. I can see sparkles in them. I have a hard time deciding what to think. When I saw the footage of her I remembered something. A memory that wasn't shimmering. A memory of her in her kitchen in the village. She was happy, but she cried. It was the day she told me she was expecting the twins. I smile at the memory. "Where are Acacia and Willow?" I ask her. She smiles. "Madge is babysitting them for us. I can bring them next time if you want to meet them." She answers. I smile brighter and nod. Then the memories take over me. The weird memories. I see her in a cave. On the dancefloor. Sitting on a sofa talking to Caesar. She is kissing him. The baker's boy. I can't handle it. Then I see her fighting. She is killing people. Why did she? I keep smiling when she stands up, kisses my cheek and leaves. "See you tomorrow Gale," she says before she disappears. Then I see him. He is standing in the doorway. "Hi Gale," he says. Something takes over me, but I keep smiling and nod at him. He walks towards the chair where Katniss sat just a minute ago. My body starts to move, and I can't stop it. I scream as my hands reach for his throat. I will choke him if no one does something about it. The baker's boy is strong, but he isn't prepared on the attack. I attack him. But I know I shouldn't. I know I hurt someone dear to me when I do it. I hurt him, I hurt myself and I hurt Katniss by doing this. But I can't stop. I hear someone scream at me. After I feel someone hit me from behind, everything turns black.

 _From Katniss's point of view_

I hear screaming from Gale's room. I open the door in panic. And I see Gale standing on the floor, with a strong grip around Peeta's throat. I scream at him. "Gale! Stop it. You are hurting him," I panic and do not know what to do. The male nurse tries to make Gale stop. I do what I can and hit him hard in the head. I must have some strength in my arms because he faints and falls to the floor. Peeta looks terrified at me. I take his hand and pull him to the door. When we are outside he hyperventilates and I lead him to a chair. I shout at the nearest nurse, who is a corridor away. "Please, I need your help. Peeta was attacked." I cry. I feel the tears against my cheeks. Peeta is red in his eyes. A doctor and a nurse come to our rescue and helps Peeta away from the chaos. I follow them but am not allowed to enter the examination room. "Miss Everdeen, you might want to sit outside while we are examining him. Or if you would like to go back to your apartment, we can make someone follow you." I shake my head. I want to stay. I can't understand why Gale did like that. He did not attack me. But he attacked Peeta, who I can't live without. To attack Peeta is to attack me. I remember myself it is not Gale who did this. It was the regime. The capital. And I will kill him for it. When I meet the president of Panem next time, he will regret he was even born. I will make him suffer for everything he did to us. Everything he ever done to my people, he will regret. I promise myself I will somehow do it, even if I realize that President Snow has a price on his head. A price I am prepared to pay.


	31. Chapter 31- The trident

Hi guys!

It was a long time ago since I last updated anything here. I have recently graduated from upper secondary school, which have been the only thing on my mind this semester. Next semester I will study creative writing one or two semesters. And after that I will have to see where life takes me.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

/A.A.

Chapter 31 - The trident

Alma Coin stood in front of me. Her face was sophisticated and harsh, as always. "You mean that you want to go to the capital and assassinate president Snow?" By her expression I could sense that she was not too happy with my plans. I was not entirely sure about all the details myself yet, but I knew that I was the one to do it. I had to end this war. I was the spark of fire that started this revolution and I was meant to finish off what I had begun. "It is not more than right than it is me who kill him. You said yourself that Peeta and I was the spark to this revolution. I want to be the one to end this. I want to end this chapter of our lives." I looked at her, begging her to consider it. I knew one thing. She was stubborn and would not give in too easily. How would I win her over? "My armées have not even had the chance to reach into the capital yet. What says you, a eighteen-year-old girl from district 12 will?" I looked at myself. I was not as fit as I once was. I struggle with anxiety. Wake up screaming in the middle of the night. I have a big nasty scar over my lower arm after the axe Johanna cut out the tracker with. I realize how stupid I must look in her eyes. A little girl from district 12, only eighteen years old, wants to kill the most hated man in the universe. What weapon will she use? Her infamous bow and arrows. How will she manage to survive by herself? The answer is that she won't. It is a suicide mission. But in my head it was still not impossible. It was easier to get by unnoticed on your own than in a big group. "You have not thought this through, miss Everdeen. You are the face of the revolution. If you would die on that mission, who would lead the revolution after that?" Coin was not impressed by her mockingjays. One of them was in hospital after being attacked by the others cousin and the other was a naive little girl who thought she could kill president Snow. Peeta and I was hopeless, in a world that was burning around us.

When I walk out of president Coin's office I feel even more hopeless than before. How do we lead a revolution from our secure bunker in district 13? We must show the rebels we fight with them. We won't win if we don't have support from all districts. I want to show them I fight beside them in this war. After what they did to Gale and in the long run to Peeta I have no mercy towards that man. He destroyed so many lives. He can't be alive to destroy more.

When I walk out to the dining hall I see Finnick and Annie sitting a few tables away. They look deeply into each others eyes. Their smiles are adorable, their hands are entwined. So in love I have never seen anyone else be. When I see them together I forget about my crappy morning. I get warm and happy inside. "He proposed, Katniss. He wants to marry me, can you imagine?" Annie says with dreamy eyes when I sit down next to them. By the foolish smile Finnick wears I don't even need to ask if she accepted his proposal or not. She definitely did, why wouldn't she? They are so in love and they are so right for each other. I congratulate them to the engagement and hug them hard. "I am so happy for you," I say and smile. "So when did you pop the question, Finnick?" I ask. Finnick tells the story of how he proposed to the love of his life well and long. It was all romantic and cute as I expected it to be.

The news of the engagement between the lovebirds of district 4 hits hard in the stiff, gray district 13. The plannings for the upcoming wedding starts the same evening. Of cause they will use this for propaganda, as they do with everything. When I tell Peeta about it when I visit him that night I see lights in his eyes. "I want to bake the wedding cake for them, Katniss" he says with his raspy voice, still sore after Gale's attack. I smile. "You are so adorable right now, do you know that?" I say and hold his hand. "Why?" he try to say, but the voice cracks. "Because the first thing you think about is baking a cake. You really are the baker's boy" I say and laugh. He asks me what I have done today and I tell him about my attempts to convince Coin I should assassinate president Snow. Then he laughs so much his lungs and throat hurts so much he needs his painkillers. "And you, my love, is as stubborn mule as always" he whispers and kisses me sweetly.


	32. Chapter 32 - A trident's wedding

Chapter 32 - A trident's wedding

A few weeks passes and Peeta is soon on his feet again. The injury he got is slowly fading from his neck and he become more and more like himself. He is excited for Finnick and Annie and the first thing he does after being released from the hospital is to visit them. Together they plan out a wedding cake that will be more extraordinary than any other cake he ever baked. He never got to bake our cake, even if he was designing it. Now he will be able to end his projekt himself. I have not seen him this happy since we had the twins. I am so happy to see him like this. Being mockingjays and leading a revolution have been hard for both of us. Everyone needs to celebrate and have some fun. A wedding will be perfect. Celebrating Finnick and Annie will definitely make this revolutionary times easier to handle. During these weeks when Peeta was in hospital I have not done too much work for the revolution. My role as the Mockingjay has had to rest for some time, but we are now expected to take the role as the faces of the revolution once Peeta is healed again.

Acacia and Willow sleeps quietly in their craddles when Peeta and I return from a day of work in the studio. My mother sits at the table with our old family book. The book Peeta filled with colour and I filled with new information while I was resting after hurting my foot by jumping over the electrified fence. "How has your day been?" she asks us. We tell her about some preparations for the upcoming wedding and for a few coming videos of propaganda we have done. After the wedding we will join the forces in district 8. At least the plan right now is to go to 8, since it is a calmer district at the moment, not meaning the people do not fight with us. They just need some new fuel to go on. District 8 have been a great support for a long time now. They just need more hope to keep going, just like we do. This revolution must go on. Snow still sits safe and sound in the palace in the capital. My desire to kill him has not disappeared, the desire has grown stronger every day. I have not forgotten that I owe everyone here to end what I have started. If the president just died, we'd all be safe. I owe Gale to kill the man behind the torture he and the other victors have went through. Annie and Johanna have witnessed about the abuse they lived in daily. I have never liked Johanna, but I even owe her. I owe them all. All kids that have died in these games. I have the opportunity to take revenge on the man who have tortured us all and I must take it. President Snow is the only man I won't regret killing. He deserves an arrow through his heart. I owe them at least that. I don't know how I will make that happen, but I am certain I will. My children will grow up in a safe world. Not in a world like this, that is burning around us. I am responsible for them and I am the face of this revolution. If someone can kill the president, it is me. My mother have been babysitting the sleeping beauties the whole afternoon. Madge and Prim looked after them before lunch. They make so much to help us. I feel guilty because I can't repay them for the sacrifices they have done. Madge have sacrificed a lot and put herself at risk. It is not without risk you are my friend. All my friends get hurt, die or are hijacked by the capital.

When I wake up I realize what day it is. It is Finnick and Annie's big day. They are finally getting married. I am happier than I have been for the last months in this place. Before I even attend the ceremony I can imagine Annie dressed in the beautiful dress we choose for her. I can see Finnick's foolish smile when he finally sees her walking down the aisle. They deserve to be happy. They have gone through so much and now they finally can feel happiness running through their veins. Both of them have become so much better mentally since they reunited. I am safe to say they healed each other. If the world was filled with so much love and care they have for each other, there would have been peace. Unfortunately the hate have won for so long. Peeta and I walk down to the ceremony with the twins in our arms. I see how happy Peeta is. Proud that he have been a part of organizing their special day. He was the boss over the weddingcakes. When Haymitch visited him in the bakery the other day he said "So the cavemen will finally get some real cake? I am happy they put you and your family responsible for this, otherwise there would not have been a cake to talk about." He is still mad about the no alcohol rule they have here. Not to talk about how stint with resources they are. We all were surprised when president Coin gave in so easily when making the plans.

"Will you, Finnick Odair take Annie Cresta to love for the rest of your life?" Coin asks Finnick. Finnick's hands are entwined with Annie's. She looks deeply into his eyes. Their smiles are even dreamier than ever before. At last they are getting married. "Yes" echos through the hall. "You may now kiss the bride" Coin says and their witnesses applauses.

"May I ask you to dance with me, my darling?" Peeta gestures towards the dancefloor they have created. Annie and Finnick are dancing the dance of their lives. Staring into each other's eyes, not noticing anyone else. I feel guilty for enjoying myself while others fight for their lives. While others are being tortured. While others can't be here because they was hijacked. My mother sits down along with Hazelle to watch over the twins. She nods to encourage me to step up on the dancefloor with him. "Have some fun. Show him he have not broken you. That is the best revenge you can possibly give him." I smile at her words. "It is what Gale would have wanted if he was his old self. He would want you to dance and have some fun. Enjoy yourself, Katniss" Hazelle says smiling. Even though her son is not here, I know she wishes he would have been here with us. He is still in the hospital while they try to hijack him back. "I will dance with you, Peeta" I say and his eyes sparkles with joy. We have not danced since our own wedding night. After that I have not had the time to dance. The twins were born and I became a tribute in the horrible games once again. I feel Peeta's hands on my hips. I feel his curly hair between my fingers. He leads me round in a little circle on the floor. I look up in his eyes. I see so much joy in his face tonight. He deserves to be happy. Just like our daughters. I steal a kiss from him and he steal one back from me. "Thank you, Katniss" Peeta says out of the blue. When I ask him he thanks me for he smiles. "I have a lot to thank you for, Katniss. I just want to thank you for letting yourself having fun tonight. You needed it" He responds.

"Mr. Hawthorne, how are you feeling?" Nurse Gilbert asks me when I wake up. I tell her I am fine and she says she has a friend who would like to visit me. Then the nurse leaves. The blond girl I used to sell strawberries to steps into the room. "Hi Gale" She says. I heard something about a wedding. An important girl, as the daughter of the mayor should definitely be there. Not in the hospital with me. "Hi Madge. Shouldn't you be dancing with someone at the dancefloor nurse Gilbert told me about?" I ask her. "With some cute boy maybe?" I tease. I see a hint of a blush on her cheeks. She wears the usual uniform she always wears. Only her hair is different today. She sits down on the chair next to me. "I wanted to ask you if you maybe would like to dance with me?" she finally says. Have she seen me? I am not allowed outside this room at the hospital. Not at a wedding. I am too dangerous to have out there. I have no control over my emotions, my fear. I have no control over my body if I get afraid. I fear people I once loved. That I still love. I never stopped loving them, I know. But it is hard and confusing to love someone you are afraid of. "I can't leave the hospital, Madge. If you have not noticed I am basically chained to this room." I say looking down on my hands. "You might want to ask someone else. There must be some cute boys in district 13 willing to dance with you, Madge," I say. She looks me deeply in the eyes. "Who said I came here to kidnap you to the dance floor, silly? Why not here, in your room?" She says and stands up. She take my hands in hers. Her hands are small in mine. She helps me up from the bed. She holds me close to her. We dance slowly around the floor. Just in a little circle. I let my arms embrace her body. I feel her back against my hands. Her arms around my neck. Her fingers playing with my hair. "So there are no cute boys in district 13?" I ask her. She opens her eyes and look up at me. "Not cute enough to dance with" she simply answers. I feel my heart beat faster, just like when I get scared. But I am not scared. I am nervous. "So I am?" I grin and feel my body warm up, waiting for her to reply. "Obviously. I wouldn't have been here if you weren't" She cheekly says and smiles at me. I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of the girl standing in my arms. Happiness runs through my veins, I have not felt happiness in my body since I came here. Not until now. Here we are, a girl dressed in a plain grey uniform and an insane boy with a blue hospital gown, dancing to the echoes of the music playing one floor above us. And the best thing is that I don't feel insane when standing there with Madge. i feel like the man I was when I left for the arena for the first time since coming here.


	33. Chapter 33 - Madge

Hi guys!

I am sorry I have not updated more lately. I am currently working, writing an original story, reading and I will soon begin studying creative writing, since I finished highschool/ upper secondary school this spring. Next spring I plan to study law, which have been my dream for a long time. I hope you all had a good summer and that you enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 33 - Madge

Gale's P.O.V.

We stand there, in the centre of my room for a long time. Her fingers are still playing with my hair and her head rests against my chest. It is just me and Madge, in my room in the hospital. None of the nurses comes in to look after us. They trust me with her. I don't even trust myself anymore, not after what I did to Peeta. But I know I won'that to Madge. They didn't change my memories of her. I have come to realize what they did to me in the capital, the reason behind my fear and violent behavior among the others. They must have used recorded material of Katniss and Peeta, from all their appearances on TV over the years they have been the star crossed lovers. They must have known of my feelings for Katniss, before I let her go and realized she was where she wanted to be. My feelings for Katniss did fade out, since I rather have her as my best friend than nothing at all and stopped dreaming about a future we would never have. They used my previous jealousy towards Peeta to make me hate him. Then they made him look like a monster. They did the same to Katniss, made her into a threatening creature who wanted to kill me. First they made me hate her because she chose him before me, who she have known for several years. Now, when none of them are here, it is clear. But if they would step in now, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. My brain would immediately think they were here to kill me, or worse hurt my family. Madge was the person they could not reach. Even if she was in footage from their wedding, I was almost always in those sequences.

We stand in my room, with our bodies entwined until nurse Gilbert comes in to give me painkillers for the next treatment section starting tonight. They try to hijack me back, but it was so painful the first time they had to stop the treatment. Some of it must have stuck, even if they couldn't finish. I know I don't hate them, which I didn't before. "Thanks for dancing with me, Madge. It was a real pleasure." I say and let go of her. I can't do anything but smile when she says goodbye and walks out the door. "You like that girl" Nurse Gilbert says while she prepares for the injections of painkillers and tranquilizers. "How can you tell?" I ask. She looks at me, as it was obvious. Maybe it was. "Do you think I am blind, Mr. hawthorne?" she says and laughs. "Madge is just a friend from home" I defend myself, but I can tell by her face I still smile like a fool. Before she leaves me she says "Sure she is just a friend. The sky is also blue, am I right?"

Madge's P.O.V.

I walk in the maze of corridors in the hospital to get home to my father. I spent almost an hour at Gale's place. We had such a good time, just me and him. I go left to the elevators and stops to wait for it to arrive. I step inside and wait for it to reach my floor. The elevator stops one floor above the hospital and some of the last wedding guests walks in. Katniss and Peeta walks hand in hand, smiling dreamily at each other. "Madge! Where have you been? We have been looking for you, but couldn't find you," Katniss says as we go up. I smile at her and tell her I went to watch on Gale, to make him some company. "How was he?" Peeta asks, looking slightly worried about Katniss. Katniss have been affected very badly by Gale's condition. She has been so vulnerable since she came here. I know she tries to hide it, but I know she deep inside fights the demons of two arenas she knew she wouldn't survive without killing everyone else. The first time with Peeta, who she fell in love with, the second time with Gale, who is her closest friend. I know he is. We have grown even tighter now than before, but I know their bond means something extra to her. They have the bond of two starving kids who found a way to survive together. I can't ever compete with that. I was one of the lucky. I always had food on the table. I have never starved in my whole life. They have, and therefore they know each other on another level. A level I maybe never will understand. "He seems to be better" I say. I never tell them about us dancing, because we reach our floor and we walk our separate ways to our apartments. My father is in the doorway when I round the corner. "So you have been up late dancing, Madge?" If I would have done something like this in 12 he probably would have given me a lecture. Now he just smiles and make me a warm cup of tea. He is happy to see me enjoying myself. Since mom died I have not had the energy or enough will to do anything but work and babysit for my mockingjay friends. "I guess I have, dad" I say and smile. Dad does not look miserable for once. He seems to be happy for me. "When your mother and I were young we used to go out and dance a lot," he says with dreamy eyes. I can see that he is picturing her in his mind. After she lost her sister she never was the same again. It was her pin I gave to Katniss that day at the reaping. "Was that before or after auntie May…?" I ask. I have never had this kind of conversation with him. I realize that I know very little about the generations before me, and that I know very little about my dad's past. Before they had me. "Oh, it was both before and after, my dear. She wasn't sick all her life, my love. Even if she struggled a lot after her loss, she did function in some way. She became worse after we had you, especially when you turned twelve." he says. I never knew this. I thought she had always been that way. Almost all my memories of my mother are of her trying to sleep in her bed, always on some kind of painkillers. I only have one real memory of her not being paralyzed of sorrow. It was the night they bombed 12. She forced us to leave her there, because she knew she wouldn't make it. "So, did you dance with someone? Some cute boys maybe?" dad asked. He never asked me things like this. Always busy with a matter of the district, always locked up in his office watching news reports from the capital. It feels so weird to talk about such things with my dad, since I have never sat down and just talked about life in general before. When we've talked it was always about school and what he considered to be important in my life. Boys have always been cut from that list. "Yes, I did actually do that." I say. "And what's his name?" He eagerly asks me, waiting for my response. "His name was Gale Hawthorne" I say and he looks confused. "What did you say? Gale Hawthorne? Isn't he locked up in hospital?"


End file.
